Locket
by Ate Monay
Summary: Posy Felrose, a fourteen-year-old mortal girl living in Manhattan, has lived her entire life asking questions. It all changes when she meets Nico, and the two become friends amidst a pending Titan uprising. NicoOC UPDATED!
1. The Demigod

**Monay, here. Okay well here's the first chapter, but to start off here's a short summary of the whole thing: Posy Felrose, 15, lives in Manhattan. She doesn't consider herself very special; she gets average grades, she wishes her hair had more volume, she's bullied by the other girls and her evil track coach may as well be satan's msitress. But her life takes a turn one day when she's pursued by a hellhound, and saved by a mysterious boy who claims to be a demigod. So, go ahead and read, and review whatever you want, I could probably take a flame or two. Let me know if Nico seems out of character, I really really want to avoid that. Enjoy :]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians**

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**Chapter 1**

_Posy's POV_

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Miss Bretner, our girls' track team coach, was a young lady, probably not more than twenty five, and we all thought that it was ironic that while she had pink cheeks, pretty blue eyes, and a shapely form, she still wasn't married. I knew better, however. It wasn't ironic to me that she was pretty yet single; she had the worst temper ever and treated us like dirt.

One time, when my friend Ariel accidentally left her shorts at home and borrowed an extra pair of mine, Miss Bretner turned red as a tomato, gritted her teeth, and bent her clipboard in half. After making us run ten extra laps around the track, she made us buy her a new one with our own money. Needless to say, we were both benched for the rest of the season.

I thought my putting up with her killer training techniques and her sailor mouth were over once I entered ninth grade, and so I confidently joined the track team at the prestigious Knox Preparatory School. Or at least I was confident right up until I found out their previous coach had quit, and Miss Bretner was once again my coach.

I had hoped she didn't recognize me, but turns out Miss Bretner never forgot a face, especially one that bought her a new clipboard. Luckily, she had obtained a boyfriend, and while the two were dating she was well-disposed towards us girls, and each day before practice we'd all gather together and pray fervently to the gods that they wouldn't break up.

It went well, that is until today, because today the unspeakable happened; Miss Bretner and her boyfriend broke up.

Today, the whole locker room was abuzz about the latest news about Miss Bretner's break up. Most girls would be heartbroken if their boyfriend broke up with them, but not Miss Bretner; she was locked up in her office and while we didn't know what was going on, we could hear four-letter words swooping out the gap between the doorframe.

Ariel, Lauren, and I huddled in a corner, changing clothes and fearing for our lives; who knew _what_ kind of torture was planning to put us through today.

"She'll make us sprint for twenty minutes straight for sure," Lauren said as she slipped a shirt over her head, her red hair spilling through the hole. "That's what Taylor in fifth period said she did once."

"Twenty minutes?" Ariel asked in mild disbelief. "I won't be surprised if she makes sprint for an hour. Don't you hear her in there?"

We listened, and sure enough we heard the muffled voice of our terrifying coach, cursing her ex-boyfriend with a colorful profane vocabulary.

I laughed.

"Posy!" said Ariel. "This is _not_ a laughing matter! She's going to work us to death!"

"Sorry," Posy's my name, by the way. "She's just kind of funny when she's mad." I slammed my locker shut, and just then Miss Bretner's office door swung open.

We all crammed into the aisles of the lockers and stood straight while she walked up and down. I quickly pulled my hair into a ponytail and joined them. Miss Bretner's eyes were red, a sure sign that somewhere in her cussing episode she had been crying over her stupid boyfriend.

She inspected all of us, walking past each girl and fixing a few details, like our hair or telling us to take off our jewelry and put it away. Then she stopped in front of Min Yang, a small Chinese girl with thick-rimmed glasses and short hair.

"What's wrong with your shoes?" she asked with acid in his voice. Min Yang looked down at her shoes. We all did, and we saw what Miss Bretner meant by that question. Min Yang lived with her divorced mother, who worked in a Laundromat. It was only because of Min's grades that she got into such a prestigious school, even if her mom couldn't afford it.

To say that Min's running shoes were in disrepair would be an understatement; the laces were practically ripping out of the holes, and the material was so worn out it looked like it was put together with scotch tape (and who knows, it probably was).

Min's face turned red and she looked away in embarrassment. We all knew that it wasn't Min's fault that she couldn't afford new shoes, with her and her mother's financial situation. We all tried to help her out, even just a little. Once, I let her have a notebook when she ran out of paper so she wouldn't have to buy one.

"What's wrong with your shoes? Answer me," Miss Bretner's voice was just an octave away from yelling now. Min's small form grew small as she did. "They are in no condition for racing. Didn't I tell you this last week? Speak up!"

Min swallowed a lump in her throat and looked up. "Yes, ma'am," she answered in a small voice.

"If you can't learn to follow directions, I'll have to let you go from the team! Haven't I made myself clear! I hate repeating myself!" She was yelling now, and Min was flinching at every word. I needed to help her, so I did the stupidest thing ever.

"Stop yelling at her!" I said. Miss Bretner's eyes were red, but this time it was from anger and not sadness. They were pointed straight at me, and for a moment I thought she could see right through me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"What was that?" she said in a low threatening voice. "I said 'what was that?'"

I swallowed. "I-I mean… it's not Min's fault that the shoes are worn out."

Min looked at me in an expression that said "thank you", "what are you doing", and "you're insane" all at once. I pressed onward.

"Min has just been running faster than any of us lately, and that's why her shoes are in that condition." I said trying to cover for Min. "She was going to buy a new pair today." I knew Min couldn't afford a new pair, but right now I was just trying to save both our hides from a good Bretner lashing.

Miss Bretner's eyes bore into mine. "Did I ask for your interference? You'll be running twenty extra laps today, missy, for that reckless show of defiance! Now get back in line!"

I did as I was told and took my place between Ariel and Lauren. Miss Bretner told Min that she ahd better get a new pair by today or she'd be dismissed from the team. Min couldn't be dismissed, she loved track, despite Miss Bretner's constant bullying.

Miss Bretner told us to go out to the track and run our laps. I wasn't the best runner on the team, but Min definitely was. She was up ahead, while Ariel, Lauren, and I were behind. Min slowed down and fell into pace beside me.

"Hey, Posy," she said with an even voice.

"Hey, Min," I said breathlessly.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," she said. "I was getting really scared. But I can't afford new shoes."

"That's alright," I answered. "I've got lots of pairs, and I bet we're the same size."

"You can't give me one of yours, Posy."

"Sure, I can. Then you won't have to buy one."

"Are you positive?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks," Min sped up and took her place at the front, while I lingered in the back.

When every else went home, I stayed behind and ran my extra twenty laps under the careful supervision of Miss Bretner. Whenever I slowed down, she blew her whistle and made me pick up the pace. By the end of the day, I was tired and the sun was hot.

The good thing about Knox Prep was that right across the street was a plaza that had an ice cream store, and that's where I went to right after school. I used the last of my lunch money to buy myself a nice cold smoothie. I gulped it down as soon as I got it, letting the cold stuff soothe my dry esophagus. I got a brain freeze, but it was okay.

At long last, the smoothie was all gone, and while I was still tired, my throat was no longer dry, and the day didn't seem so hot anymore.

I pushed the door open and let myself back onto the sidewalk, and ran toward a waiting bus. I climbed on, and dug into my pocket for bus fare, and with horror I realized that I had spent the last of my money on that smoothie.

I tried not to panic, but the bus driver soon saw my terrified expression, and told me to get off the bus. When the light changed to green, the bus sped off, leaving me alone on the sidewalk.

I sighed. This had never happened before, but while I never walked to school, I knew the way home. It seemed like the only option for me now. I made my way down the street. It was a long walk, and my calves burned and ached and begged for rest.

I couldn't stop, though. It would be dark in a few hours, and I needed to be home in time for dinner. I kept walking until I reached central park, and then I happily realized that my house would be just on the other side of the park.

I was going to keep walking, but then I decided to take a short cut through the park instead. It would be much faster, and it'd be nice to take a solitary walk through a beautiful park.

I had been walking for just fifteen minutes when I entered through a part of the park that was covered with trees, like a forest. I didn't mind much, it was better than the sidewalk on a scorching day.

The trees began to block out the light and it got darker and darker, and all the while I began to get the feeling that I wasn't alone. That someone…or something, was following me. I was on alert now, and I looked around for signs of anything that looked suspicious. The search was unrewarded at first, and I decided that I was just paranoid.

I shook my head and silently laughed to myself. When I turned around, I was face to face with something big, hair, with yellow eyes and huge fangs, dripping with drool and blood. It was a demonic wolf.

A high-pitched scream went through me and escaped my throat. I started running, faster and faster, even though my legs were aching and I couldn't go on, I forced myself.

My heart was pounding, I thought it might burst through my chest, and my breath came out of my mouth in a short but sudden gasps of air. I felt the adrenaline rushing in my veins as I turned and saw that it was still chasing me with nothing but pure evil masked in its haunting eyes.

I ducked behind a rock, and the hound crashed into a tree, making it come crashing down. It shook its head and howled with a sound so loud and piercing that I thought my ears would bleed. When it stopped, I took a peek, nervously, my heart still pounding.

The hound was gone. I let out a breath of relief, slowly, and began to crawl backwards. I was on my knees, but not too soon later, I turned and saw that it was still there, still staring, and ready to attack.

I was frozen, molded in that position, standing right in front of it, wide open. My eyes stayed focused on it, and my legs wouldn't budge, even when I willed them to. The dog bounded forward, coming at me with incredible and terrifying speed, and still I stayed.

It was happened so fast and yet I saw in slow motion; the dog running at me, me not moving, and voice, coming closer and closer.

"Move, idiot!" I was knocked to the ground, painfully, by something heavy and strong. everything that happened after that was sudden and fast and it was all a blur while it happened.

The thing that knocked me down apparently was a kid, a boy who was probably not even older than I was, and he wore an aviator jacket and black jeans. He had olive skin and dark hair, and had skulls on his shirt. But what he was wearing was nowhere near as harrowing as what he held in his hand: an iron sword.

He leapt forward at the dog, slashing at it with his sword, but missing. Next thing I knew, the dog jumped at him, and had him pinned to the ground. The boy used his sword and cut the dog right at its shoulder. It howled and back away.

"Go back to where to you belong!" the boy spat at it, and the dog ran toward a shadowy tree, whimpering, and disappeared.

The boy picked up his sword, it was stained with blood. He knelt down and wiped it on the grass, and he didn't seem to notice me.

"That was- " I began, but then stopped. He turned and looked at me with a surprised expression.

"Y-You?" he said. "You saw that?"

"What was that thing? Why was it here?" I asked him breathlessly, getting up to my feet, and then falling again because my legs were too weak.

"You saw the hellhound?" he asked me again. "Are you— " he stopped.

"Am I what?"

"Are you a… demigod?"

"Demigod?" I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. I had heard the word before, somewhere in school, but I didn't know what he meant by asking me that. He had a look of surprise on his face, like he had just spilled a closely-guarded secret. He opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed it before turning around and going off in another direction. I got up and dusted myself off.

"Hey!" I said. "Wait! What do you mean demigod? And what was that... thing that attacked me just now?"

He didn't say anything; instead he just kept walking, probably hoping that if he did so long enough I'd just leave him alone, but I was more determined than that. I furrowed my brow and sped up my walking, catching up to him.

"Excuse me!" I said. "Would you care to explain what just happened back there?"

"Gods," he said. "You're annoying!"

"You noticed,"

"Just leave me alone!"

"Not until I get some answers! I almost died if it weren't for you!"

He tried to push past me, but I blocked his path, and after a few more rounds of this he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me to the side. Any normal girl would just give up, but I stood my ground.

"If you don't tell me what's going on right now," I began. "I'm going to scream!"

He stopped. "What?"

"Ahhhhhhh!" He ran up to me and cupped a hand over my mouth.

"Shut up!" he said angrily. "OK, I'll tell you! But you have to swear you won't tell anyone! Ever!"

"Ok, I swear," I said, my voice muffled because his hand has still on my mouth.

"Swear on the River Styx!"

"On the what?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine! I swear on the River Sticks!"

…

Greek mythology was real. The boy told me everything; demigods, the Olympians, hellhounds, everything. Everything was real, everything I ever knew about Greek mythology was the truth.

Demigods; children whose parents were Olympians, and their heroic deeds. Of course, at first I didn't believe him, but after some more explaining, it all began to make sense. I remember seeing weird things all my life and never knowing what they were, but now I finally had the answers, thanks to this strange boy. It took all of half and hour for him to explain everything, because I was curious and he talked fast so I asked him to repeat a few things. And there were some times when he would get frustrated and try to leave again. But soon, everything was said, and he sighed in relief when he finally got to stop talking.

"Are you a demigod?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Then, who's your Olympian parent?"

He swallowed. "H-Hades." He said. Hades, god of the underworld. That explained why he had so much power over that hellhound just now.

He slipped his sword into a scabbard that hung on his waist and began walking the other way.

"Hey!" I yelled. "You can't just leave!"

"And why not?"

"Because I've just been told that myths are real! I need answers! Why did that thing try to attack me just now?"

"Hellhounds tend to get out of control," was his simple answer. He just kept walking away, and it was starting to anger me.

"Well, at least tell me your name!"

"Nico," he said.

"I'm Posy!"

He just nodded, obviously not interested at all.

"Well, thanks, Nico!" I said. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face me.

"You're a mortal," he said. "But you can see through the Mist. It's a gift and a curse. I told you everything so you're involved in this now, so just be careful. I'm not always going to be around to save you." He turned around, and like the hellhound, he ran toward a shadowy tree, and just disappeared.

I made it to my house in time, with thoughts swirling in my head. Dinner went on as usual, with my brothers Paul and Frankie rambling about their football game (they never win) and my dad talking about the deals he got at his job in the bank. Mom sat quietly and listened with the occasional "and how do you feel about that" question (she's a therapist). I considered telling my family about the events that happened this afternoon, but decided against it. After all, I swore on the River Styx, and while an oath on a river didn't seem as important to me, it was obviously important to Nico. I went up to my room, and sat at my computer, a blank document open on the monitor. I had just started a diary on Microsoft Word, and his day definitely deserved to get on there. I started writing. Today turned out to be an interesting day, all because of a smoothie.

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_TBC_

**Okay, well here's the first chapter of what I hope will be a multi-chapter story. I'm really into it right now so hopefully I'll get some more updates soon, but for now just enjoy this one. I hope you liked it so far. Please review!**

**P.S. My little sister, Tina, wants me to mention that she helped with this idea. So yeah...**

**-Ate Monay**


	2. The Nemean Lion

**Monay, here, and I'm back for the second chapter, yay! Okay, same basic thing, Posy Felrose is a fifteen year old mortal girl living in Manhattan who runs into Nico after he saves her from a hellhound. She knows about him now, being a demigod and all. So yeah let me know if Nico seems out of character or anything because I am really trying to avoid that. Srry if it takes me a long time to update, I've got a lot of homework and I want to make sure I get the story down good before I post it up. Read and review, Enjoy :]**

**Oh and in case it wasn't clear, the ages are as follows: Posy(14), Nico(14), Min(13 - she skipped a grade)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians… or**_**Ethan Frome**_**for that matter, I just own Posy and Min Yang and all those other original characters.**

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**Chapter 2**

_Posy's POV_

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It had been nearly a week since I had seen that demigod boy, Nico. When I woke up the day after he saved me, I thought it was all a dream, that things like gods, hellhounds, and demigods didn't exist. And then I went to my computer and read the diary I had on a document there and then realize that it really did happen. The rest of the week went on as usual, with my usual classes at Knox Prep, the usual people, and the usual track practice, but it felt different knowing something like greek mythology is real. I felt like some kind of fugitive living among innocent citizens.

On Friday, I would have an English test. We were supposed to read _Ethan Frome_ and write a timed essay in class about Ethan's life of misery, the symbolism behind Zeena's cat sitting at the table, and Mattie's domestic abilities. Boring. Mr. Freeman, the English teacher, had promised us that we would enjoy the book, but I just found myself dreading it. It wasn't my fault Ethan Frome was such a loser.

In class that day my mind kept wandering to that Nico kid. I knew my business with him was over, but something told me that there was more to him than what he told me that day. Like the fact that he was about to disappear into shadows and stuff. I don't know about you, but I don't know many kids who can disappear into shadows and appear out of nowhere, unless they're ninjas of course.

"Posy!" said Mr. Freeman, waking me from my stupor. I shook my head free of those stray thoughts and focused my attention on the teacher.

"Yes, sir?" I asked, not quite sure what he was saying before that. He shifted his weight to his right leg and stood up tall and focused his glassy eyes on me. I fidgeted under my desk.

"Daydreaming, are we?" he said. "In my class? How does that make me feel? Does my class bore you to tears, Miss Felrose?"

The class turned and looked at me, expecting an answer. I gulped, searching for an answer. What's the right answer? What does he want to hear? I have to be careful.

"Um," I began. "No…sir?"

"Hmm," he said. "Well, then perhaps you can answer the question on the board if you'd be so kind."

I looked up on the board and saw what he had written in his neat teacher handwriting: "Explain the significance of the novel's structure as a frame story." Not technically a question, but now wasn't the time to be concerned with technicalities.

I rattled my brain for an answer. I didn't exactly read the whole book; I sort of just found a website about it and read that. I had no idea that the novel was a frame story. It was a mystery how I'd gotten into Honors English with my amazing study skills, sarcastically speaking.

"Uh.." I said. I stared at it, hoping some kind of answer would just pop into my head, like an epiphany or some kind revelation. But sadly, nothing came to me, so I just shook my head.

"Oh, Posy," Mr. Freeman said with mock disappointment. He called on another student, Matt Kidham, a boy who was known for speaking out of turn. The bell rang a little after that, and I hurriedly gathered my books. When I looked up, Min Yang was standing in front of my desk. I stood to talk to her and realized that I was probably a whole head taller than her.

"Hey, Min," I said, fixing the shoulder strap of my backpack. "You need something?"

She shook her head. "I just wanted to say thanks, again for… you know, with Miss Bretner."

"No problem," I said.

"And, um," she continued. "I saw that you needed some help with Freeman's class."

"Oh, that," my cheeks flushed. "Um, yeah, I guess you can say I need a little help."

"I can tutor you a little, if you like"

"Oh, thanks, but are you sure?"

"Sure, I mean, it's the least I could do for the new shoes and all."

"Um, I don't know, I'd have to ask my parents first."

"Sure, go ahead. I'm meeting up with a few friends of mine at Fabrizio's Gelato Shop, and it'd be great if you could come, too."

I winced inwardly. Min wasn't exactly the most popular girl in Knox prep; that honor belonged to one of the junior girls, I forget who. Everyone knew the crowd that she hung out with. Mostly kids from the chess club or the anime squad or the debate team; the kinds of kids that everyone else seemed to avoid. I had been trying to work my way up the school hierarchy for a long time, and I knew being seen with Min's friends would ruin my chances. But then again, I wasn't going up anyway, so why start now. And Min was a great girl, I'd hate to turn down an offer like that.

"Sure, why not," I answered. "It'll be fun!"

"Great!" Min said. "So, um, I'll meet you at the school gate after school. We can walk over there together."

"Okay," I said, going off toward second building. "My next class is this way. See you later!"

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_Later..._

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School ended faster than I imagined. My last class of the day was Geometry, and right when the bell rang, I got my stuff and rushed over to my locker to get my books. I was usually in a hurry when I did this and today was no exception. I fumbled with the combination; was it 24 first or was it 8?

Finally it was open and got my stuff. I decided that I probably should organize my locker someday, it was a mess. I had work from fourth grade in there and a water bottle from the first day of school. I was kind of thirsty and considered grabbing a drink from it since it was still half full, but decided against it. Bacteria can grow inside water bottles, especially if they've been sitting there for months. Ew.

I slammed my locker shut and whipped around real fast and I rammed into something… or someone. My books fells and pencils were everywhere. I tried to regain my balance before I looked up.

When I did, I sort of just froze for a minute.

The person I rammed into was none other than Landon Hunter.

For those of you who _don't_ know Landon Hunter, let me explain a little bit about him. He's on student council, the football team, the yearbook committee, and he's also the most popular boy on campus. All the boys wanted to be him and all the girls chased after him like Tom chases Jerry.

Like most of the female population at Knox Prep, I had a huge embarrassing crush on him. I don't remember when I started liking him, but it was probably the time when he sat in front of me in Spanish class, then he turned around to face me and said, "did you know that raisins are just dried grapes?" Then something clicked inside of me, like when you finally understand a math problem. It was magical.

I don't know how long I sort of just stood there and stared at him, but after a while he said "Um," and I started stammering out an apology.

"I am so sorry!" I said, bending down to pick up my things while keeping my head tilted up so I could see him, forcing my hands to grabs books and pens.

"No problem," he said, smiling and bending down next to me and helping me get my things. I couldn't breathe! He was so close to me, I could smell his cologne, mixed in with a little sweat. We both stood up at the same time and he handed me the rest of my books and our eyes locked. I was squealing on the inside.

He smiled a little before talking again.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked me, squinting his eyes like he was trying to concentrate. He was seriously eyeing me now and I didn't know what to say, so I did the stupidest thing anyone could ever do.

"No!" I said rapidly before hugging my books to my chest and then rushing past him with my eyes directed at the ground. Ugh! Stupid! I wouldn't be surprised if he never talked to me again. That's how stupid I was. I felt like an idiot, like I just threw a stone at the ground and missed.

I felt the red rushing up to my face as I made my way to the gate where I saw Min leaning and waiting for me.

I walked up to her and apologized for keeping her waiting; that incident with Landon must've taken up ten minutes, time was going so slow then.

Fabrizio's Gelato Shop was just a couple blocks away from the school and we got there pretty quickly. Min's circus troupe of friends was there before us and each had their own little cups filled with Italian ice cream and were talking about what sounded like a museum exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.

I recognized a few of them; Jesse from my Geometry class who wore tape on his glasses. He changed the color of the tape every now and then. Then there was Kathy from my P.E. class. She was obsessed with anime and always wore her hair in a slightly anime-ish style. Then I recognized Dean, Leon, Celine, Daniel, Finn and Min's best friend, Robbie.

Robbie was on crutches but it didn't stop him from doing anything. People say he had an accident and he's been on crutches ever since, but he didn't like being felt sorry for, so we treated him the same as anyone else.

Robbie was sitting at a different table with a kid with black hair who had an ice cream cup in his hand, but wasn't eating.

Min took my elbow and we went over to the counter to get our ice cream. I decided to get strawberry. Min got chocolate mint, and after we paid she took me over to Robbie's table with the stranger.

"Hey, Robbie," Min said. "This is Posy, you know her right?" Robbie looked up.

"Oh, right!" he said. "Hey, Posy!" I waved at him silently, then turned and looked at the kid he was talking to and my mouth nearly dropped.

"By the way, Min," Robbie said. He motioned toward the boy. "This is – "

"Nico?" I said, er, yelled. He looked up at me too, and he was equally surprised to see me.

"You!" he said, standing up from the table.

"You two know each other?" Robbie asked with sincere curiosity.

I tried to explain to Robbie how I knew Nico, but as soon as I started, Nico told me to shut up, and I remembered that I had sworn not to tell anyone. I was sworn to secrecy.

Min got two chairs for us, and she took the one next to Robbie, so I seated myself next to Nico. I sort of stayed quiet most of the time, while Robbie, Min, and Nico began a discussion about Broadway musicals. I knew a little about those things, but I didn't want to say something and be wrong and humiliate myself. I had enough of that with Landon earlier this afternoon, and I'm not so sure I want a repeat of _that_.

Once everyone finished the ice cream, Min suggested we all go for a walk. Most of her circus friends left, so it was just me, her, Robbie, and Nico. I don't know what made the gods want to narrow the group down to us four, but that's how it went down, so I guess I just had to deal with it.

It was three o'clock, so I still had plenty of time until I was needed at home. That gave me enough time to at least pretend I was enjoying myself. Min was much more giddy and bubbly outside of school, away from the watchful eyes of teachers and other students.

Robbie was unusually talkative outside of school, too. We decided to go to central park and just hang out there for a little while. We were in the southern part of the park, near the Alice in Wonderland attraction, but surprisingly today was a slow day for the famous sculpture. It was pretty much empty except for a few kids like us who were taking a stroll, and few mothers with their children.

It looked like something was wrong with the concrete or something around that section of the park. It looked there was construction going on, but the workers weren't there. Out for lunch, maybe. But anyway, all around there was "Danger" and "Caution" signs everywhere.

"Oh, right!" Min said suddenly, as she turned to face me. "I was going to help you with English!"

"Yeah," I answered. She got her backpack and rummaged in there and brought out her copy of _Ethan Frome_, and flipped to the first page.

"'Explain the significance of the novel's structure to the author's implicit message' was the prompt, right?" She said, pushing her glasses into place. I nodded.

"That's an easy question," Nico said. "The novel's a frame story, so it's like a story within a story. The outer frame is with the narrator and the inner frame talks about Ethan's life. It's significant because it emphasizes Ethan's powerlessness over his own life. He needs a narrator to tell his story, he can't tell it himself."

"That's right," Min said. "How'd you know that, Nico?"

Nico shrugged as he took the book from Min's hands and flipped through it. "I read the book." He looked at me then handed the book to me. "What part are you on?"

"When Ethan and Mattie slam into the tree," I answered.

"Oh." He said. I sensed boredom in his voice.

I hadn't known Nico that long; in fact since the day he saved me from that hellhound I probably knew him for like, I don't know, a day and a half. But somehow I had this weird feeling that I wanted to get to know him; I wanted him to trust me.

He was just such an interesting person, besides the fact that he didn't talk much, nor did he shows signs of wanting to talk to me. Then again, I'd never had a friend like him; a half-blood friend I mean.

Min tucked the book away in her bag. "I guess Nico's got it covered with the whole tutoring thing. Let's keep walking!"

"Yeah, let's keep going," Robbie said, eyeing a hot dog stand, and then taking off. He might be in crutches, but that didn't stop him. He ran over to that stand like a rabid raccoon with scissors was after him.

I started walking, but then I was suddenly jerked backward by a tug at the back of my shirt, and faster than the wind a biker sped past me, and would have run me over if not for Nico pulling me back.

"Watch where you're going!" Nico yelled. I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or the biker. That's the second time he's saved me. I have got to stop owing him.

"Jeez, you're an idiot," he said. Yep, he was obviously talking to me that time. "Can't even walk without being prone to accidents."

"I'm not an idiot!" I said, getting up and brushing myself off. He scoffed.

"Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically. "You mean to get hit by the bike? That's smart."

I sighed. "Whatever," I said. "Guess I should have read the sign."

"What sign?" he asked. I pointed to the "watch for bikers" sign.

"That sign," I said. "Can't you see it? It's right there, in plain sight, duh."

"Well, if it's in such plain sight, why didn't _you_ read it?"

Nico squinted and blinked a few times, and from that, I deduced that he couldn't read it. My initial reaction to this discovery would have been to laugh, but then I knew that this wasn't a laughing matter, it was serious; Nico had dyslexia.

"You're dyslexic?" I asked. Stupid question, I already knew the answer. "But _Ethan Frome_! You read the book!"

Nico stuck his hands in his pockets. "You know how I said I'm a demigod and stuff?" I nodded. "Well, demigods, our brains are hard-wired for ancient greek, that's we can't read English and stuff. And about _Ethan Frome_, I read an ancient greek copy at Camp Half-blood."

"Camp what?"

"Oh, right, didn't tell you about that yet. It's like a camp for demigods."

"So that's where you go in the summer?"

"Yeah,"

"What do you do there?"

"Train, learn to use our powers, and regular camp stuff."

"You have powers?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't ask if you would tell me."

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_Nico's POV_

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Jeez, what did I do to get myself into this? Sure, Posy was a mortal who could see through the Mist, but deep down she was just like other mortal girls, curious and annoying. She just wouldn't shut up!

"Yes, I have powers," I finally just said to make her shut up. I sure hoped she wouldn't ask me to demonstrate them. That would not be cool at all.

I kept hoping she would just leave, disappear, and just leave me alone. I was never much for opening up to people or making friends, and I didn't feel like starting now, especially with Posy, she was just about as friendly as a wasp trapped in your car while you're driving. In fact, I wasn't good at making friends with _living_ people in general. I am a son of Hades, after all.

"Like what?" she asked. Not exactly a good question to answer, especially with mortals all around the park. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside where I could whisper to her.

"OK," I started. "You have _got_ to stop asking demigod questions in public. People could hear us and they'd find out about me."

"I'm sorry!" she said, whispering. "I've just got so many questions that I want answered, and it's killing me! I've never met a half-blood before, this is a first for me."

She crossed her arms across her chest.

"OK, fine!" I said. "We can talk, but you have to keep the half-blood stuff on the down-low! The last thing I need right now is for a mortal to find out about me. Well, besides you, of course, since you're already all up in my business."

I think she was about to say something again, but that moment some crazy lady just burst out of the forest part of the park and came rushing towards us. She grabbed onto Posy's arm and started yelling something in Italian. Luckily, I understood her.

"Help me!" she said in Italian. "My little boy! He's stuck! Help me!"

Posy, of course, being an American girl, didn't understand what the insane lady was saying.

"I'm sorry," she said soothingly, trying to calm the lady. "I can't understand you, can we get you some help?"

"Idiot," I said to her. I placed my hand on the lady's shoulder and told her not to worry in Italian. "She said her son's stuck in a hole near the construction site."

"What?" Posy said wit panic in her voice. "We need to call the police!" she whipped out her cell phone and started punching numbers in.

"No time for that!" I asked the lady where the hole was, and she led me it. It was deep hole with steam or smoke rising from it. It looked dangerous alright, and who knew _what_ poisonous chemicals were in there.

I listened closely, and I could hear the muffled screams of a little boy down there. It was dark, too. Too dark to see anything. The lady was tugging on my sleeve begging me to help him in Italian. I told her not to worry.

I took off my jacket, it was hot down there.

"Nico!" Posy yelled from behind me. "You can't just _jump_ in there! It's too dangerous!"

I shook her statement off. "I'll be fine," I said before taking a deep breath and jumping into the hole with the intent to save the little boy.

It was darker than I had expected in that hole. I couldn't see my hand in front of me. I might as well have been blind.

"Hello?" I yelled. I listened, and I heard whimpering. I moved my feet, but then saw that I just ran into a concrete wall. The floor was wet, too, and rats were everywhere. It was dunk and musty, and the air felt thicker.

I smelled something slightly acidic, and I pulled my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose. If there were poisonous toxins in here, I didn't want them in my lungs.

"Hello! Anyone here?" I yelled again. The thick air and dank smell was starting to make my eyes water. Steam and smoke was building up everywhere, and I knew I couldn't stay in here too long.

I heard a cry, and I moved in that direction. Suddenly, my foot was blocked and I tripped and created a splash in the musty water. It got in my mouth and I quickly spat it out.

I suddenly felt the air above me getting thicker, hotter, and stickier, like something was breathing on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and sweat began to trickle down my forehead. Something alive and breathing was definitely behind me.

I didn't want to turn around. I knew what would wait for me if I did. Slowly, so slowly, I reached toward my hip and touched my sword. I would need it soon, and time was of essence now. If I stayed too long, the chemicals could get me. And there's the kid to worry about. But suddenly I heard the crying stop, the kid going silent, and that's when I knew that there was never a kid who fell in a hole in the first place.

Footsteps. Heavy footsteps, I could hear them, but I couldn't see. It was still too dark. I heard a loud menacing roar, and I didn't have to see it to know what it was.

Behind me, or rather above me, stood the Nemean Lion.

I heard a low, rumbling growl, so loud I had to cover my ears or they would bleed, and the ground began to tremble. I couldn't see it, how could I fight it? It was getting closer and closer and closer still.

My heart was pounding and I had to force myself to stop breathing so loud or I'd give myself away. I stated crawling, hoping to get away from it to give my eyes time to adjust. That's when I heard Posy yell my name into the hole.

"Nico!" she yelled.

The lion growled and bounded forward and landed on top of my small form, its paw just inches away from crushing my face. I whipped my sword out and swung it with as much strength as I could muster from my position underneath it.

"Agh!" I yelled as I tried to stab it, but it leapt up off me and to the side. I quickly got onto my feet, and got ready. It could strike from anywhere, and it had the advantage. Lions can see in the dark, but I can't.

It was silent again and I listened closely for any sign of movement. Nothing. Just then, I heard a splash, from my right side, but before I could react, the lion had jumped at me and knocked me off my feet and my sword out of my hand.

I giant cat had its paws on my elbows and had me pinned to the floor. It was staring me right between the eyes and had its teeth bared. Its breath stank like death. And trust me, I would know.

It was just about poised to claw my face in or tear me to shreds with its teeth. My heart was pounding even harder, I was afraid it would burst through my chest.

Just as it was about to lean down and bite my head off, someone fell in the hole and landed right on top of it. Posy, that stupid klutz.

The lion roared again, even more fiercely this time. I kicked its stomach with my leg and it hissed and got off me. I sped over to where Posy fell.

"Nico! What's going on?" I grabbed her elbow and pulled her up and around a corner, I covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. "Shut up!" I said.

"I can't see!" she said, panic in her voice.

"I know! Just stay quiet!" I told her. I had to find my sword. That was the only way I would be able to kill it. But it was too dark and I couldn't see it. I tried to stand, but I realized that I had twisted my ankle. I could walk, but it hurt. I listened closely for the lion.

It made no noise, but from the corner of my eye, I saw a little coming in from the hole at the roof. And I saw the lion's shadow, and it gave me an idea.

"Posy, stay here," I said, before going off and standing in the light. I wasn't sure about this idea, but it was better than nothing.

Just as I thought, the lion came into the light, too. It roared into my face. After holding my ground a bit, I ran. Then I closed my eyes, and focused on the shadows, the darkness as a whole. Shadows were basically made up of the same material.

If I could somehow focus on the shadows as a whole, maybe I could figure out which parts weren't shadow. I focused on it, groping around in the dark with my mind. And then I found it; my sword. It was lying right beside Posy and she didn't even know it.

I ran faster, and the Nemean Lion chased me, with every step the ground shook.

"Posy!" I yelled. "The sword! It's right next to you! Get it!" I ran past and around the corner. I heard Posy fumbling around, feeling for the Stygian iron blade. Hurry up, damn it!

"I got it!" she yelled. Finally.

"I'm coming around!" I yelled back. "Get ready!" I ran around the corner, and just as the lion was about to bite my arm, I heard Posy come from around the corner and handed me the sword at last minute.

But then I turned around, and the lion caught the sword in its teeth and swung me around. I let go of the sword, and the lion spat it out, and was about to jump on me, but I rolled away, and hit my head on the wall.

I quickly felt around in the dark with my mind, frantically looking for the sword. It was lying near my foot. The Nemean Lion started running at me again, and in the last possible moment, I kicked the sword up, grabbed it, and plunged it straight ahead, without looking, into the lion's mouth. It felt like stabbing a coconut, only more difficult.

The last thing I heard was an effervescent roar, perpetually resounding in the darkness, like an echo in the hills. It's roar blasted into my ears, like when the music in a car is too loud. I shut my eyes. And then total silence.

When I opened my eyes again, it was gone. The hole was quieter, but still dark as before, but somehow I was able to see. I could sense where everything was, even in the dark.

I sighed in relief, and I sensed Posy falling to her knees, making a splash in the dirty sewer water. I felt my ankle throbbing in pain, but chose to ignore it, a smile pulling the sides of my face.

Posy stepped forward toward me. She was little shaky, but otherwise unhurt. That was good, it would be a hassle for her to explain things to her parents if she _were_hurt.

"What just happened?" Posy asked breathlessly. "What was that?" Her hair stuck to her sweaty face.

"I think," I said. "we just killed the Nemean Lion." I took my sword and put it away.

"Does this kind of stuff," she asked, pushing her hair back. "Always happen to you?"

"Yeah," I said. "Sort of."

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_TBC..._

**Okay so there's the second chapter. This one was actually really fun to write! Okay, well, review please!**


	3. Some Frightening News

**Monay, here, back with chapter 3. I have a feeling the story is getting boring and I'm focusing too much of the story on Posy and less on Nico, so if anyone feels like this please let me know so I can try harder to make it non-boring. Also, since Nico is fifteen, the story obviously takes place two to four years afterThe Last Olympianand in the story, Nico might seem OOC a little bit because I know Nico is supposed to be all angsty and secretive, but you know what, it's been a long time and people can change over time. And I know Nico's powers would be able to let him see in the dark, being the son of Hades and all, but in chapter 2, just pretend that Nico never knew he**_**could**_**do that and that was his first time using it. Read/Review, Enjoy :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & The Olympians**

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**Chapter 3**

_Posy's POV_

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"Does this kind of stuff," I began to ask. "Always happen to you?" I ran my fingers through my damp hair. It smelled like something gone rotten; I need a shower.

"Yeah," Nico said, putting his sword away. "Sort of."

We found a ladder leading back up the hole and climbed out. The bright sun was a drastic change from the darkness of the hole, and I had to squint to see at first, giving my eyes time to adjust to the light.

"Nico! Posy!" Min's voice. She ran toward us while Robbie swung himself over on his crutches. "What happened to you?"

"We, uh.." I tried to think of a reasonable excuse as to why we were both wet and smelled like a dumpster truck without spilling the beans about the Nemean Lion. My mind went blank. Not a good sign.

"Fell in the pond over there," Nico said. He winced again as he tried to walk, and it occurred to me that he had twisted his ankle back there.

"Nico?" Robbie said, concern plastered onto his face. "Are you okay, man? You look kind of sick. Something wrong?"

"I'm fine," he said. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he were dreaming or something, and for a split second I was worried for him. "I just need a glass of water." The next thing I knew, Nico had tumbled over and collapsed, Robbie catching him just in time before he hit the hard ground.

"What's happening to him?" I demanded. Robbie lay him down on the grass, while Min knelt down and leaned over him, laying a finger on his neck.

"His pulse is okay," she said. "And he's breathing, he should be fine."

"He's probably just exhausted," Robbie said with a small smile, although I didn't grasp what was so amusing about Nico fainting.

"Shouldn't we call for help?" I said, still genuinely concerned. He was doing fine up until he just collapsed.

"He'll come around," Robbie reassured. "Sooner or later. Just give him a little time."

I didn't know what made Robbie so sure that he'd "come around", but he said it so clearly and in such a strong voice, I didn't dare doubt him. I looked over at Nico, lying still on the grass. He looked much more peaceful just lying there, younger, different than the fierce boy he was fighting against the lion. In fact, just looking at him on the grass and the thought of him fighting at all sent a sick feeling to my stomach. _He's just a kid_ I thought. Some invisible force possessed me and seized my hand as I reached over his head and pushed his hair out of his face, and lingered there a little longer than I was comfortable with. The contact made me blush, and I quickly pulled away, fearing he would wake up.

"It's getting kind of late," Min pointed out, glancing at her wrist watch. "What time do you need to be home, Posy? It's four o'clock, now."

"Hmm," I wondered to myself. "I'm usually expected home at four thirty or so, but I guess I can call my parents and tell them I'll be a little late."

"So you're going to stay and wait for him to wake up?" Min asked. I nodded, blushing again. "Alright," Min said. "Well, my mom is waiting for me. I have to go. It was nice hanging out with you Posy."

"I'll walk you home," Robbie offered, following behind Min on his crutches, and soon they were gone from my sight. That left me alone with Nico, and to tell you the truth, I was a little uncomfortable with the idea.

I looked back at him; he looked comfortable just lying there, and didn't want to wake him up. I sighed. It's going to be a long wait. I called my dad and told him that tutoring with Min was going a little longer than I planned as an excuse. He told me okay and not to stay out too late. Then I hung up. I sat there waiting and waiting and to amuse myself I tried to count how many little kids with balloons passed by, and watched clouds. I went to the hot dog guy and bought a bottle of water for when Nico woke up, since he said he needed a drink. Then I sat down and started playing with the grass. But soon that got boring, and fortunately, after an hour or so, Nico finally awoke. He groaned a little bit before his eyes flickered open, little by little. He propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes.

"What the?" he asked to himself.

"Hi," I said. "Welcome back." I opened the water bottle and held it out to him. He took and took a long swig, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with every gulp, and soon he had drunk the whole thing. He really was thirsty.

He wiped his mouth on sleeve before throwing the bottle into a wastebasket. "What happened?"

Well, how should I say this? "You knocked out." I said. "We just got out the hole and then you sort of just fainted right in front of us. What was that all about?"

He tried to stand up, but discovered the pain in his ankle was still there and cursed under his breath. He sat back down on the grass, moving his sword out of the way. I suddenly remembered him back in the hole and him knowing that the sword was right next to me. Then I understood; that was one of his powers as a demigod. This stuff was getting more interesting every day.

"My powers," he started, and I suddenly perked up and listened intently. He looked at me when I did so with an expression one would give to a circus monkey.

"Anyways," he cleared his throat. "My powers really take up a lot of my energy. I get tired after I use them. That was the first time I ever tried sensing things in the dark, and it really took a lot out of me. That's why I fainted."

"Well, you really had us scared to death you know," I explained. "We thought you had hyperthermia or something, I was about ready to call an ambulance."

"But you didn't, right?"

"No."

"Good," he tried to get up again, and this time he finally got to his feet, although the pain he felt was still apparent on his face. I tried to grab his elbow to help him walk, but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me," he said as he began limping toward the path.

"You'll never get anywhere," I said. "Your ankle needs to heal, it needs ice."

"What I need is ambrosia," he said. "And I'll be fine, stop worrying so much." He limped off toward the path some more, and I followed closely behind, knowing he'd soon need my help.

"Ugh!" His face cringed again as another pain shot up his leg, and this time he fell on his knees again. I giggled a little.

"You're a horrible liar," I said as I grabbed his arm and pulled him back up. "C'mon, I'll help you out." His face held a glare, but grudgingly he allowed me to help him walk the path. I positioned myself so that he could put an arm around my shoulder and I could support him. He was heavier than he looked, and it turned out to be a strenuous activity. I then noticed the height difference between us; he was probably a few inches taller than me, maybe two or three, and he kept his eyes trained on where we were going.

Soon we were on the sidewalk. "Where do you live?" I asked him. "I can help walk you there."

He shook his head. "Just get me to that corner over there. I can limp the rest of the way."

"Do you live with your parents?" I asked. I looked back at him. "I mean, don't you live with your mom somewhere?"

"No," he said. "I can't. My mom's not with me anymore."

"Oh." I felt awkward after asking that, and after seeing Nico's sad expression I felt horrible for putting him in that mood. "I'm sorry," I said. I don't think he heard me.

I finally got him to that corner and we said our goodbyes and soon we were both on our way home.

On my way home, I decided I would just use the pond excuse for the reason I was wet and smelled like a sewer. The first room I need to walk through in order to get to the stairs is the kitchen, and I was hoping that mom hadn't started dinner yet, but as bad luck would have it, there she was. My mom looked a lot like me, except taller and more womanly. She was pregnant, too, with my new baby brother. I wanted a sister, but pregnancy doesn't work that way, so that means I'm going to have one more brother to put up with, as if Peter and Frankie weren't enough. When I walked into the kitchen, my mom was mixing something in a Pyrex bowl, and when she saw me she nearly dropped the dish she was holding. Her eyes got wide and her jaw dropped. I'm in trouble, for sure.

"Posy Annette Felrose!" she said. I was in deep trouble. That was the only reason my mom ever used the full name. "Do you to explain to me right now why you're dripping wet! And what is that_god-awful_smell?"

Actually, I'd rather not. That's what I wanted to say, but I knew better than to sass my mom in this mood. Especially when she's pregnant and her hormones are out of control. It could be hazardous.

"Oh, this," I said, looking down at my clothes. "I see. Well, Mom, I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation as to why I'm wet and smell really bad."

"I sure hope so," My mom said, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot. "So you want to tell me what that perfectly logical explanation is? Or do I have to wring it out of you?" Ha! I liked what she did with the wringing it out of me seeing as I'm dripping wet. I was about to burst out laughing, but she looked at me in that mom-glare that meant business.

I gulped. "Well, I was taking a walk in central park with my friend, Min— "

"Okay, pause," my mom said. "Your father said you and Min were in a tutoring session at the library. Why were you at central park?"

"There's a library in central park," I said. "And anyway, while we were walking, a biker sped past me and I fell into the pond there."

"You _fell_ into the _pond_!" Yes, I did, Mother. "Which one? The one with ducks in it?" I nodded. "Oh, that explains the smell. This is why you need to be more careful! Especially when there're bikers! Now go upstairs and wash up."

"Good idea," I said. I nodded and made my way to the stairs and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom take out the Febreeze and spray the parts of the kitchen where I had walked. Jeez, it's not like I had the plague or anything. On my way up, I ran into my brother Peter, who always wore these weird cardigans. Today it was a navy blue one with gray stripes. He pinched his nose as he went past me.

"Did you shower in the sewer today? You stink," he said.

"You're one to talk," I said, fanning myself. Some smell radiating off of Peter's body, too, and the smell was so strong, I thought I'd faint. "Did you use enough perfume?"

"It's _cologne_," he said, before walking down the rest of the stairs. I skipped every other step, and soon I was in the bathroom. I turned on the hot water and waited until it was just the right temperature to take my clothes off and get in. While I was in there and rinsing the dirty water off me, I could see the filth running off my body and into the drain. Ew. The hot water felt good, especially after walking around for so long in damp clothes with the wind blowing. I wouldn't be surprised if I become sick the next day. I reached for the shampoo, and rubbed it in my hair, and that's when my mind wandered back to the sight of seeing Nico sleeping on the grass, when I pushed his hair out of his eyes. His olive-toned skin, though stained by the dirty water, sort of glowed in the sunlight.

My friend, Lauren, would probably be all over him if she met him. She's the kind of girl who's, how should I say this? Boy-crazy. She usually went for the pretty-boy types, the kind who are handsome in an almost androgynous sort of way. Nico would be different, though. He's cute in a more boyish way.

I experimented with the idea of Nico being cute in my mind, the way he seemed so peaceful there on the grass, but it seemed strange to think of him that way, so I pushed it out of my head, feeling the blush creeping up to my face. I rinsed the soap from my hair, and savored the final minutes of my hot shower before turning off the water. After I dried myself off, I wrapped the towel around myself and took a good long look at my reflection in the mirror.

I have brown eyes framed by long eyelashes. My eyebrows arched nicely, I guess, and I pinched my cheeks to add a little color. That just left my hair. It was medium length and sort of just fell from my head, flat and thin. I always thought that hair ought to be thick and flowy, and framing the face nicely. But mine just sat there on my scalp oh-so-boringly, thin, no volume at all, almost lifeless. I envied those girls on those hair products commercials with their shiny beautiful hair. I held a few strands of my hair out as I wiped the steam from the mirror. I noticed all the split end I had and frowned.

I reached for the scissors. It was only an inch or two off the bottom, no one would noticed. I snipped away at the bottom strands of my hair and looked at it. It was uneven on one side so I snipped some more, and it kept going like that, until my hair had lost almost five inches. And the tips were ragged.

Panic began to set in now. There was no way I could just waltz into the kitchen with my hair going unnoticed. Mom would be furious! My breathing got heavier, and when I could no longer hold it in, I opened my mouth and just let it out.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I yelled in a high-pitched scream. I cupped my hand over my mouth again to stop the noise, and I heard my dad running up the stairs. He knocked.

"Posy? Sweetie, are you alright in there?" I had to think of something fast.

"Uh," I squeaked. "I-I'm okay! It's just, uh... I-I saw... a spider, but I squished it! No worries!"

"Well, okay, if that's all it was."

Panicking, I set the scissors down, grabbed another towel and wrapped my head in it. I had to do something about the cut hair, so I gathered it all up in my hand and put it in the shower, then turned the water back on, letting it wash into the drain.

My mother called out that it was dinnertime, so I dashed out the bathroom, crashing into Frankie on the way out, and to my bedroom, and changed, keeping the towel wrapped around my head. Then I went downstairs to dinner. My mom made baked salmon, corn, and mixed vegetables tonight, Dad's favorite, and he didn't waste anytime in digging into the meal. I sat quietly in my seat, trying not to call attention to the towel on my head, but of course everyone noticed, and soon Frankie came down and took his place across from me.

"So how was your day, kids?" Dad asked.

"Alright," said Peter. "I got an A on my test today, and, oh, Mom, Mrs. Webster is asking for the recipe on your casserole."

"Oh, of course." Mom said.

"And what about you, Posy?"

I thought about my day, fighting against the Nemean Lion and Nico fainting on the grass and then helping him limp home. It was exhausting to say the least, but I actually enjoyed it. "It was good." I said plainly.

"Frankie?"

"You know, Dad," Frankie started to say. "I think we should reassign chores."

"What makes you suggest that?" Mom asked while she scooped herself a generous amount of vegetables.

"Well, I think Posy should clean the bathroom. I mean she _is_ the one who leaves the most amount of hair in the shower. It almost clogged up the drain. Let's make _her_ clean it up." That little insect.

"Which reminds me," Dad said. "Posy why are you wearing a towel on your head at the table?"

"Because," I said. "My hair is wet."

"Well, maybe it'll dry if you take it off,"

"No,"

"C'mon, sweetie, take it off." I bit my lip. i really didn't want to take it off and show off the new hair-do, but at this point I didn't have much of a choice. I forced my hands to go up to my head and remove the towel, and my new short hair fell just barely past my shoulders. I heard Peter and Frankie suppress a laugh, their mouths were full. My mom's jaw dropped again.

"Posy!" She got up from the table and took my head in her hands, fingering my hair. "What did you do? You cut it, didn't you? I told you not to do that!" I pushed her away.

"It's fine, Mom, it'll grow back." In a few months. Who am I kidding? I want my hair back now!

" it old you to stop messing with your hair! For once just leave it alone! And look what you've done now that you've gone and cut it!"

I hate it when my mom is right, and that's usually most of the time.

The next day at school, of course everyone noticed my new haircut. It was way too short for my liking and when I saw myself in the mirror I thought it made my face look a little too thin. I liked my long hair. I endured seven hours of Lauren fretting over my lost hair and Ariel lecturing me about leaving my hair to its own will. Hair isn't alive, it doesn't have a will. Its only will is my own, and I chose to cut it. Not a very wise choice.

In English class, I slumped down in my desk determined not to get called on. In Spanish class, same thing. And my day went on like that until it was finally time to go home, but on my way out the door in Spanish class, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around Landon Hunter was standing behind me with his bright blue eyes, tanned skin, and bronze-colored hair.

"I thought I knew you from somewhere," he said. Oh no, he remembered that little run-in we had the other day. "Posy, right?" I nodded. He was seriously eyeing me down now, and I felt like I was shrinking. "Did you do something different to your hair?" I could just die of embarrassment right now. I pushed a strand of hair away from my face. "I-uh, cut it short." I said, just barely audible.

"It looks nice," he said. "Anyway, your mom owns that catering business, right?"

"Yeah, _Beth's Catering Business_."

"Great," he continued. "Well, we're planning the Winter Dance in student council. I know it's like months away, but we need to start early and stuff. And we kind of need a catering business for the dance. You think you could ask your mom if she could hook us up? It's kind of important, can you mention it?"

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"Thanks," he smiled again before turning around and joining his friends and went off to a coffee shop, while daydreamed about going there with him, just the two of us. I went to my locker and got my books and then went outside. Knox Prep was a tall white building and on the outside was a gate lined with flowers, and then just to the side the gates was a brick wall. I was supposed to meet up with my other friend, Jen, there and the two of us were supposed to get crepes together, but instead of Jen, I found Nico sitting on the wall lazily watching traffic.

"Nico?" I said with mild disbelief, as if he were a ghost, and stood in front of him. "What are you doing here?" He squinted his eyes when he looked at me, like he didn't recognize me. All of a sudden it looked like his light bulb went on.

"Woah, Posy?" he said with the same tone as me.

"_Yes_, I'm Posy, who did you think I was?"

he was trying to hold back a laugh, I could tell. "What in Hades happened to your hair? It looks like a mop,"

Great. "Real charmer, aren't you, Nico? What girl _doesn't_ want to hear her hair being compared to a mop?"

"Just stating my opinion,"

"If your opinion's going to offend someone, you might as well keep it to yourself,"

"What ever happened to freedom of speech? I'm pretty sure it was in the Declaration of Independence,"

"You mean the Constitution?"

"Whichever it was, I don't care enough to remember,"

"It's your country's history, I think you should care a little bit more, or at least enough to remember the important documents."

"Whatever," he said, jumping off the wall.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked again.

"This is your school?" I nodded. "I had no idea."

"But of course you didn't just come to see my school, right?"

"Actually," he said. "I was kinda hoping I could talk to Robbie, I need to discuss something with him."

"Discuss what?" I never knew Nico and Robbie were so well acquainted, not to mention friends. What was so important that Nico came _here_ to discuss it with him?

"Just some important business," he answered. It didn't look like he was going to tell me, so I decided not to press the topic any further. I looked him up and down; he wore the same black jeans, and wore a gray shirt. He wasn't wearing the aviator's jacket today, and he wore just some plain black shoes. And I noticed something different about him.

"You're not limping." I said. he looked down at the ankle he had twisted. It was perfectly fine, and he had landed softly on it when he jumped off the wall.

"Yeah, I guess I'm not," he said.

"How'd it heal so quickly?"

"It was just a sprain, not like it was broken or anything. And the ambrosia helps to heal me." If Nico could somehow market ambrosia as a miracle healing formula or something, he'd probably be a filthy rich guy.

'Oh," I said, suddenly speechless. "Well, I guess I'm glad you're okay."

"You guess?"

"Whatever."

"So," he said, changing the topic. "How're you getting home?" I'd almost forgotten that I was still at school. On my track days, when I was too tired to walk, I usually took the bus home, but that wasn't one of those days.

"I guess I'm walking home today," I answered.

"Oh." he said.

"So, um, bye." I stepped to the side and started walking in the opposite direction, but it wasn't long before I saw Nico appear by my side again.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Um," he said. "Do you mind if just, you know, walk you there, to your house? I'm not in the mood to go home yet."

"Oh,' I said. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind. What's going on at home? Where do you live anyway?" I hoped everything was okay.

"I live with a friend of mine, Percy, he's a demigod, too. I don't want to live at the Camp, and there's school to worry about, so my friend lets me stay with him and his mom and step-dad. And right now Percy's got his girlfriend over, and it's really awkward."

"Same here when my brother, Peter, has _his_girlfriends over," I said, relating to his situation. "So, um, where do _you_ go to school?"

"Some public school in some part of the city,"

"That explains _so_ much, by the way. How'd you get here so fast? It's only like three o'clock and you're already here."

"Shadow-traveled, of course."

"Oh right. How does that work by the way?"

"Well, shadows are like made up of the same substance, so basically, I can control them and pass through the different shadows and end up in different places."

"Wow, that's pretty cool. You're like a superhero or something." That got him to laugh a little, and smiled at my accomplishment. He had a nice smile, despite being a child from hell...literally. It was warm and slightly contagious. A genuine kind of smile.

The walk ended soon as we made our way toward my house, and I noticed that there was a car parked in our drive way, one that I hadn't seen in a while, and just as we were getting closer, and elderly man came out of the car. "Grandpa!" I yelled, as I ran up to him and threw my arms around him in a hug.

"Posy!" he said, planting a kiss in my hair. "How nice it is to see you! How have you been?"

"I'm doing great!" I said. Nico sort of just stood back while I greeted him, almost shy. "Oh, Grandpa! This is my friend, Nico." Nico stepped forward just a little bit, and waved to my grandfather. Grandpa waved him up to come closer and Nico obeyed. The Grandpa extended a hand to Nico and Nico shook it. The whole time, Nico was silent and frowned a little. What was his problem? He was being rude.

"How are you, young man?"

"Fine,"

"I don't remember hearing Posy talk about you, you must be a new friend of hers."

"Mhmm."

"Well, it's been nice meeting you. Posy is a wonderful girl, I'm sure you two are good friends."

"Mhmm."

And now his answers were short, obviously not showing any interest in the conversation. Who does he think is, a god? Well, he is half-god, but still!

"Well, I ought to go inside now," Grandpa said. "I think the rest of the family will want to see me." Grandpa gave me one last kiss before going on inside to greet the family. I turned on my heel and faced Nico with my arms folded across my chest.

"What's the matter with you?" I said, raising my voice for emphasis. Nico just looked down at the floor sullenly and for a minute I thought the raising-my-voice thing was working.

"Posy," he started to say, but I kept going.

"My Grandpa is trying to be nice to you and you're just being really rude. You have to go apologize to him! You can't just talk to him like that!"

"Posy!" he said, grabbing my shoulders. "Your Grandpa,"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"I saw his life aura," he explain in a low voice. "And it's not looking good."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I looked him straight in the eye and breathing stopped for a minute there. "What do you mean his life aura isn't good? Nico, tell me!" He looked sad, and he obviously didn't want to tell me, and a part of me didn't want to hear it either. I didn't know what he was going to say, but I could only guess. I pushed him onward, and he sighed.

"yougrandpaisdyingPosy," he said fast and barely audible.

"What?"

"DYING! YOUR GRANDPA IS DYING, POSY!"

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_TBC..._

**Okay, so there's the third chapter, I hope you guys liked it. PLEASE leave reviews! Let me know if you'd like to see more of Nico's point of view or if Posy's starting to get annoying or something. I don't want her to be annoying, I want her to be a likeable character! Thanks for reading! Is it too much much to ask for a teeny tiny little review, something helpful, or encouraging, a suggestion, a concern, anything? Please review people, reviews are what keep me going...**

**-Monay**


	4. Dreams & Late Night Conversations

**Monay, here. Fourth chapter is up, and I don't think I need to explain the summary again, I think you guys are catching my drift, here. Anyways, enjoy the fourth chapter of "Locket". Yay! :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and The Olympians…**

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**Chapter 4**

_Posy's POV_

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I sort of just stood there, rooted to the spot and not saying anything. Nico had a concerned look on his face, like he wanted to hug me but was worried I wouldn't hug back.

I wanted to say something in protest, shout at him and accuse him of lying, that it was a sick joke, but when I saw him, the look of concern draped over his face, a certain darkness in his eyes, I knew there was no doubting what he just said. He's Nico after all, a child of Hades, the god of death himself.

"W-What?" I said, finally, losing breath. "What are you talking about? My grandpa is fine, h-he's healthy. R-Right?" I tried reasoning in my head.

"Posy, I-" he said, but I interrupted him: "No." I shook my head at him. There was no way this was happening. This stuff just didn't happen in real life. Doesn't it?

"I'm sorry," he went silent again and gave a sympathetic smile. I wanted to slap that smile off his face. This was no time for smiling.

"But," I started to say, but the words became tangled in my throat and I choked on them. I turned abruptly and went into the house, slamming the door behind me, and leaving Nico alone. Inside, my grandpa was talking to my brothers about a fishing trip he was planning, my mom spooning a generous share of corn onto his plate. _They'll never go on that fishing trip_, I thought to myself as I forced my heavy feet up the stairs.

I wanted to tell someone, but who? If I told my family, they'd never believe me. They'd never believe that Nico just somehow knew. It was all up to me.

And the worst part was I didn't even know when his time would be. He could go anytime, out of the blue; maybe now, sometime today, or weeks from now. Now all I had to do was wait. That, and hope, that somehow I could change things.

Truthfully, I'd never given much thought about death. My life was too busy and boisterous and just filled to the brim with life that there was just simply no room for thoughts about dying. Sure, the topic flew by here and there in the middle of conversations, but I never lingered on it long enough to give it any relevant thoughts.

For most of my life, I never had to concern myself on the matter; my mom, dad, brothers, they were all living, and I hadn't known anyone close to me who died, and so I wasn't familiar with it, and for a while, I almost let myself believe it didn't exist.

Sometimes I thought the reason I avoided the topic was because I was scared, and even then I denied that fear by acting like it would never come. I was safe. And here it was now, facing me and me facing it.

It wasn't a good feeling, knowing that someone you love is dying. To me, the emotion was almost parallel to the feeling you get when someone holds a gun to the back of your head and demands your valuables.

In short, Nico's news scared me. I felt helpless and stupid, rooted to the ground, petrified like deer in the headlights. I didn't want to believe it. I sat at my computer doing nothing for a while, just staring out the window, and that's when grandpa's cat, Willow, jumped up on the desk. He layed down on the empty spot on my desk and stared at me with beady mismatched eyes, like he was daring me to do something.

I reached out and put my hand on his back, the soft fur slipping through my fingers, and he arched his back against my touch. He purred as I scooped him up and put him on my lap. I heard a small beeping noise and I looked up at the monitor. There was a blinking window at the bottom of the screen and I clicked on it.

_"Landon Hunter" has sent you chat request. Accept? Deny?_

I wondered how he got my screen nam_e,_and a little flutter went through me, but I decided now wasn't the time for him. There'd be plenty of time for my embarrassing crush on him later on. I clicked on "deny" and then I sat and moped some more, Willow meowing in my lap. I scratched his head, between his ears_,_and then I lifted him up and whispered: "It'll be okay, Willow."

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_Nico's POV_

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After she left me there on the driveway I decided there was no use just standing there. I'd look like a stalker. I turned around and started walking toward Percy's apartment building, and I heard my stomach growling. I hoped Sally had already started up some dinner.

Posy actually took the news worse than I thought. I had expected her to either a) yell at me, b) burst out crying, or c) slap me, but she surprised me by just staying quiet. So quiet, it was almost scary. At least if she had burst out crying, yelling, or hitting, she would have sent me a clear message; she's mad/sad, and I could've offered some help, I think.

But the thing with someone being silent, is that they're not exactly voicing out and openly displaying their feelings, and you're left guessing what to do, and whether it's the right thing to do at the time. It's messy. I thought about hugging her, but I was too afraid that I'd do something stupid and just make it worse.

The walk home took longer than it usually did, and I guessed Posy probably lived farther than I thought. By the time I got to the apartment, it was already starting to get dark. I was also just about ready to faint from hunger. When I knocked on the door Paul Blofis answered. He was an okay kind of guy, well at least for a mortal. He understood me and Percy really well, and he was part of the family now.

"Nico, there you are," Paul said, beaming at me. Gotta say though, it did kind of creep me out how this guy was just always so damn happy. "We wondering where you went off to."

"I just took a little walk," I answered as I stepped inside and slipped my shoes off. "Got food?"

"Yeah," Paul walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed a flat cardboard box. He lifted the top and revealed a slice of pizza. "You can heat this up if you want."

"Sure," I grabbed the slice and put it in the microwave and then went into the room I shared with Percy. He was sitting at his desk doing homework, obviously frustrated. I took a wild guess and decided it was Physics homework. Everyone's got a weakness, even demigods. For Achilles it was the heel thing, Pandora it was the box, for Atalanta, she wanted the apples, and the Trojans bet on the wrong horse. Percy's weakness was Physics homework. Although I gotta say it's pretty entertaining watching him strain over a worksheet.

"Ugh!" he said, banging a fist on his desk. "Holy Hera! What the heck does x stand for?"

"Let me guess," I said, changing into a different shirt. "Physics?"

"Yeah, I hate physics."

"But doesn't Annabeth love physics?"

"She loves anything school-related,"

"Yeah, one of these days she's gonna leave you for a Calculus text book."

"Shut up, can't you see I'm busy here, trying to find the value of x?"

"Yeah, because that's _sooo_ hard, right?"

"Yes, it is! It's not like _you_ could do it! That's why I need to focus!" He pressed his fingers into his temples, pretending he was deep in thought.

"Jeez," I said, laying back onto my bed and grabbing my backpack. "You can take down a minotaur, but one lousy worksheet can reduce you to rubble with just a couple of numbers."

"X is technically a letter, Nico."

"F is a letter, too, and that's gonna be your grade if you don't pick up the pace with solving math problems."

"I'd like to see _you_ try to solve these problems in one night. This is a whole month's worth of math problems!"

I leaned forward and looked at his paper. "There's only nine problems, what are you talking about?" He pushed my head away cursed in Greek. I smiled a little before turning back to my book and pretending to study. I wondered what posy was doing right now. She seemed pretty upset when I left her today, and I hoped she wasn't feeling too bad. Maybe I shouldn't have told her; what if she thinks it's her fault and goes suicidal? I'd hate to hate that on my conscience. It's bad enough knowing when people are dying.

I heard a slight buzzing in my ears. _There goes another one._ I thought. One more mortal's soul has fled to the Underworld. I always knew when someone had died through a buzzing noise in my ears, and for a moment, I wondered if that buzzing noise was Posy's grandfather.

"Nico?" Percy said. "You okay, buddy?"

"Hmm? Yeah, why?"

"Well, you're like staring off into space."

"Just get back to your worksheet." I turned on my side and tried to study, but my efforts were in vain. My eyelids grew heavy and I had no choice but to close them. In a few moments, I was asleep and slowly drifting into the dreaming state. Demigod dreams are never normal.

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_It's dark. That's the first thing I notice about the place. It's dark, and there's water dripping from the ceiling, and in the small amount of light, I can deduce that it's a cave of some sort. Then there's a boy. He's tall, as I can gather from the size of his silhouette against the light, but I can't make out much else about him, other than he's tall. It's still too dark. The place reminds me more and more of the Underworld._

_He places a hand on the walls of the cave to guide him as he walks along. Then he reaches a dead end and starts feeling around, until he latches onto something, a lever of some kind, and he pulls down on it. It opens a door, a secret passage. the boy enters and the door closes behind him._

_Inside is what looks like an ancient Greek temple; torches lining the wall, tapestries, gold treasures, incense, flowers, statues, an altar at the front, scented oils burning in hollow pots, and a pool in the middle of the floor. It was beautiful, but at the same time there was an ominous aura emitting from all of it._

_In the light, I can see the boy better; he has golden brown hair and his skin is slightly tanned. His shirt was torn, but there's no blood. In his hand he's carrying a vase of some sort. It was rounded at the bottom and it grew thinner toward the top and it had two handles on each side. It's red and black, and the item suddenly becomes familiar; it's a Grecian urn. I wondered where he could've gotten one like it._

_On the Grecian urn was a picture, but I couldn't make it out. The boy grabbed a bowl and threw more incense into the fire and watched the smoke rise up. After standing still in front of the altar for a few seconds, he went up and set the Grecian urn on top of the altar. Then he stepped down and bowed before bringing out a small bottle with red liquid in it, wine maybe, and tossing it into the burning oil torch next to him._

_"Sorry for the delay," he said. I couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or the fire, but that was when I felt another presence in the room. A strong wind started blowing, so strong it almost blew out the torches, followed by a voice, deep and haunting, like a scraping knife._

_"What kept you so long?" it demanded. "Did you forget the mission? maybe I should have sent another in your place." The smoke rose higher and it formed loops and swirls in the air as the voice spoke. The boy bowed again, lower this time it respect while still maintaining his composure._

_"My deepest apologies, your omnipotence,but a replacement won't be necessary" he replied. "There was a distraction. The Nemean Lion was much more... difficult an opponent as I had surmised. But I have completed the mission; I have retrieved the urn."_

_The voice was silent for a while, but the existence of it was still present. "You had help." It was a statement, not a question. The boy looked unfazed by the accusation; he stood still. The voice was silent again, surveying the situation. "A demigod?" it spoke again._

_"Indeed," he said. "I hadn't planned on a demigod's help in retrieving the object, but I lured him into the Lion's lair and once the beast was disposed of I took the urn."_

_"You told no one of the plan?" the voice sounded harsher now, almost angry._

_"Not a soul," the boy said. "I was discreet."_

_"You've done well," the voice said. "Your reward will be great, but the plan is not finished yet. There is still much work to be done."_

_"I know," he answered. "I'm ready for the next mission, if you'd allow me."_

_The incense continued to burn. "The mission I am about to give you demands more of you. Are you ready?"_

_"Yes, give it to me."_

_"The urn you will retrieve is in the depths of Tartarus, in the Underworld."_

_"In the Underworld?" the boy said with more surprise this time. "How am I expected to enter the Underworld? I'll never be able to get in on my own. Only the gods know how to get there."_

_"You said you were ready," the voice said. "Maybe I was wrong to give this mission to you."_

_"No!" the boy said. "I'm ready, I can do this. I'll find a way in, I'll get the urn."_

_"I'm sure you will," the voice said. "You know the consequences if you fail me, Landon. Do not return without that urn." With one final breath the voice was suddenly gone, the air felt lighter. The boy stepped down from the altar and went to the back of the temple. Leaning against the wall was a collection of swords. He took one sword and a scabbard, and as he readied himself to set out, a girl in a long blue robe stepped out from another door. She walked toward him, with her long brown curls behind her._

_"You have the next mission," she said, as she picked up another sword and handed it to him. He took from her and placed it on his belt as well. The he looked at her with a solemn expression._

_"This is the Titans' last chance," he stated to her. "I can't let Kronos down." And with that, he turned around and went back out the secret door from which he entered. And then I wake up._

* * *

My first instinct when I wake after this particular dream is to grab my sword and a bag of clothes and head off toward Camp Half-blood to warn everyone, and that was just what I was about to do, until I wake up and see that the room is dark, Percy's in bed, and I'm somehow in my pajamas. Crap, Sally must've changed me. I check the time and realize that I had just napped for almost 7 hours straight, which was weird considering my dream only lasted for a few minutes.

My dream; Kronos planning another rebellion, the Titans' last chance, the boy's missions, the Nemean Lion, and I felt that I was somehow connected to all of this. That boy; he said he had help from a demigod in killing the Nemean Lion, was that me?

It had to have been me, there was no other demigod fighting that Lion and I was the one who killed it. But why would Kronos be interested in those urns or that lion? I thought long and hard trying to make everything make sense, and I even considered waking Percy. Soon it was two in the morning, and I had no choice but to forget it for now and go back to sleep. I pushed the dream to the back of my mind; I'd worry about that later.

As I nestled back into my bed, I thought about what I'd say to Sally about changing me again. I heard another buzzing in my ears just as I fell back into Morpheus's spell. The last thing that crossed my mind as I drifted back to sleep was Posy, and I didn't know why.

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_Posy's POV_

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I can't sleep. No matter how I force my eyes to close, they won't stay shut, and after an hour of unsuccesful attempts to stay asleep, I decide to stop trying. I sit up in bed and just stare at the wall, deciding what to do. I had to get sleep, I had school tomorrow; the insomnia's going to kill me.

I silently blame Nico for my lack of sleep, and then I began to think about how much sleep Nico gets at night; if I lose this much sleep over the announcement of one death how much more for Nico? The poor guy.

I push my blanket off of me and slip my bare feet into a pair of slippers and get up. I walked to the door and pushed it open and let myself into the empty halls on my house. These halls seemed much more friendly during the day; at night they seemed cold and lonely.

I take one reluctant step into the dark corridors, and then another one, brave this time. It continued like this until I was stepping with ease in the darkness. I stopped in front of the guest room, where Grandpa was sleeping.

I lifted my hand to the doorknob I , but then pulled it back. I didn't want to wake him, but I had to see him; I had to see that he was still here, and still with us. I took a deep breath, turned the knob, and stepped in.

To my surprise, the room was still bright. The lamp was on and Grandpa was sitting under it with a book and Willow on his lap. He looked up at me when I walked in.

"Posy?" he said, pulling his glasses on and standing up to greet me. Willow jumped down from his lap. "What are you still doing up? It's late."

I tried to stay calm, but soon he held his arms out to me and I buried myself in them, hugging him. "Something wrong, sweetie?" he patted my head. "You didn't have a nightmare did you?" I shook my head. "Well, what's wrong then?" I didn't want to talk and ruin the moment. He sat me down on the bed and put a blanket on my shoulders. Even Willow climbed up on the bed and snuggled up to me.

I took a deep breath. "Grandpa?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Do you have any, you know, memories from your childhood?"

"Of course I do, sweetheart. Did you want to hear one?"

I nodded.

"Oh, well, then, let's see. Hmm, ah, alright, I've got one. You know, I had a little sister once, she was a beautiful little girl, bright, mischievous, a lot like you. Her name was Rose and every summer we visited our aunt on a ranch in Tennessee. Rose loved animals, but she was especially fond of cats. One day, she found a kitten in the barn, and she brought it inside the house because ti was raining. Now, auntie didn't like cats, and she tried to take it from Rose's hands, but Rose wouldn't give up. She opened the door and said she was running away. So when she opened the door, the dog ran in all of the sudden, wrecked the whole place."

Grandpa laughed wholeheartedly as he recalled the memory. "Auntie was so angry with us, but before she could get a chance to slap our hands the dog ran past her, knocked her over." I smiled a little, although I never knew much about Grandpa's family, I felt like the memory was shared between us.

"I didn't know you had a sister," I said. "What did she look like?"

"Ah," he said, scratching his balding head. "It was so long ago, can you believe it's been nearly 50 years?"

"It was a long time ago," I said. "But tell me about her."

"Well, let's see then. She was a skinny little thing, we used to joke that the one day the wind would knock her over. She had thick brown curls and big big brown eyes. Oh, but she was a trickster, that Rose."

"What happened to her?" Grandpa's eyes lost a little of their sparkle as he recalled what happened to his dear sister.

"She died of some illness, I can't remember which one, there are so many. All I remember is little Rose lying in bed, shaking, her eyes red, and breathing deep, holding on for dear life. She was a strong girl, and we all thought she would make it, but I guess God was calling her."

"That's so sad," I said, brushing away a few tears. "She wasn't ready to leave. Everyone must've been in grief when she died." Grandpa nodded.

"Yes," he said. "So many people came to mourn her, myself included. We all kept thinking 'why her? why not someone else?'."

"Grandpa?" I said, sitting up and looking at him in the eye. "Aren't _you_ ever afraid?"

"Hmm?" he said. "What do you mean?"

"Are you ever afraid of dying?" he cleared his throat and thought for awhile. Then he smiled and lifted my chin to look him in the eye.

"Of course I'm afraid, but I'm not afraid of death; I'm afraid of not being able to be here and see my family. Everyone dies; now or a hundred years from now, it makes no difference. When the thought first occurred to me that I could die at anytime, I was young and healthy and I thought 'oh, no, not me. I'm healthy, I'm invincible'. I think so many people are afraid to die because they feel their life isn't complete yet, they regret so many things and they feel incomplete. They don't want to leave yet because they have unfinished business. But when you come to terms with it, you accept your life; the good and the bad and you feel content."

"Do you think Rose's life was complete?"

"Perhaps, but it's not for me to say. Rose was a good person and everyday of her life she was surrounded by people who loved her and cherished her. No one wanted to see her leave; she died before her time. But if it were up to me, I'd say Rose's life was complete; she lived life to the fullest capacity and she saw it right to the very end. That takes courage."

I stayed quiet and let everything sink in for a minute, everything Grandpa had said about death and dying, and feeling complete. "What about you? What did you think about her dying?"

"I don't think of her as dead," he answered. "She's still alive, here in my heart. Her soul may be gone from the earth, but her memory is here and here it will stay; she is a deep joyful existence that will never die, except with me. Just because people are gone from our lives doesn't mean they are forgotten; they continue to live within us, and just because they die doesn't mean we stop loving them. Actually, I never thought of her as dying in the first place; I liked to think that she was going on a long journey, very long, and someday we'll meet again."

"Someday we'll meet again," I repeated. "You miss her don't you?"

"Of course, I do, I miss her so much," he said. "She was my best friend. But now I have you and Peter and Francis and my whole family. Sometimes when one thing dies another grows in its place. Sometimes not what was there before, but something wonderful all the same."

"So what grew up in place of Rose?"

"Many things; I met your grandmother, I had your mother and now I have you."

He hugged me closer to him and Willow jumped down for fear of being squished in the middle. "I love you, Grandpa," I whispered. "Me, too," he said into my hair.

"Now," He said straightening up. "Was there something you wanted to say?" I wiped my eyes again.

"No," I said. "I'd better get to sleep. I have school tomorrow." I kissed his cheek one more time before heading once again into the hallway and disappearing into my room. The warmth from my bed was gone, but I fell asleep quickly and didn't wake up again until the sun came up. A new day.

It's been a week since I found about Grandpa's dying. A week since I had last spoken to Nico. My nerves could only take so much anticipation, and I was searching endlessly for ways to prevent what was inevitably coming. I was losing sleep, I couldn't eat, I was missing classes, forgetting things; this behavior was just so out-of-character for me and I knew I had everyone worried. So today I decided to pay a small visit to Nico. If anyone could help me it was him.

The first problem that arose when I tried to pursue this plan was that I had no idea where Nico's school was or where he lived. I sat down on one of the steps outside and moped for a while, until I saw Robbie descending the steps.

"Hey, Posy!" he said cheerfully. "You seen Min around? I'm supposed to kind of tag along with her, she's my ride home."

"No, sorry," I said.

"Ah, well thanks anyway," he said as he limped past me on his crutches. I was going to let him past me, but then an idea came to me.

"Robbie, wait!" I got up from my perch and ran over to him.

"Yeah?" he turned his attention to me.

"You know Nico, right?" I asked, hoping that he could tell me where his school was.

"Yeah, why?"

"I kinda need to talk to him right now, it's kind of an emergency," I explained, tugging at the sleeve of my uniform shirt. "Can you tell me where he goes to school? I could meet him there."

Robbie looked kind of surprised, but he surrendered the information to me anyway. "He goes to Pierce High School. You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah, its next to that publishing company, right?"

"That's the one!" he said with a huge smile that seemed almost insulting to me in my grieving state.

'Thanks a bunch," I said as I took off down the street. Pierce High School was a public school just a few blocks away, I could probably make it there in time. I ran past the sidewalk pedestrians, not even bothering to mutter apologies or excuses to those I bumped into. I was a girl on a mission.

I reached Pierce High School just as the final bell was ringing. I stayed off toward the side and sat down to catch my breath. Even during track I had never ran this fast. I spotted a boy with black hair out the corner of my eye and when I looked in that direction, sure enough, it was Nico. He was wearing the usual black pants and dark themed shirt. He was with a couple of friends; some, I noticed, were girls, the kind with long pretty hair and makeup. I stood up and yelled.

"Nico!" I waved to him and he caught sight of me. At first he pretended he didn't hear me and tried to go back tot he conversation he was having with his friends, but he couldn't keep ignoring me. "Nico!"

'Wait a minute, guys," he said to his friends and then jogged over to where I was. "You ignore me for a week and decide to just show up at my school without warning me first? What are you doing here? How'd you -?"

"He can't die, Nico!" I said to him out of breath. "He just can't! H-He's not ready!"

"Calm down, damnit!" he said grabbing my wrist and pulling me to a more private location in an alleyway. "So what's this about not being ready? Ready for what?"

"My grandpa!" I said. "He can't die, he's not ready to leave yet. You have to do something, Nico, this can't be the end. I need you to see him and do something to help him!" I tried to grab his hand and pull him in the direction of my house, but he was stronger than me.

"Posy!" he said, pulling me back. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything. I'm not allowed to mingle with other people's fate and stuff, I only know when they're dying."

"Nico," I said. "Please, I really need you now. If you help me this one time I promise, I'll never ask for anything else! Just please!"

"I'm really sorry, Posy, but I can't do anything." He turned around and started walking back. I thought for sure I could get Nico to help me, he was the son of the god of death, himself. If anyone could help me, it was Nico, but he just needed a little convincing, and at this point I was desperate. I ran after him and pulled him back.

"Please! You have to help me, I thought you were my friend!" He shut his eyes and pulled on his hair.

"How many times do I have to apologize? I'm really sorry about your grandpa, Posy, I wish I could help, I really do! But the truth is I can't do anything for you. Maybe you would have been better off not knowing. Maybe it would have been better if you'd never gotten involved with me, but we can't go back in time. You know what's going to eventually happen, and you can't stop it. The only thing you can do is prepare for the aftermath. You're grandpa's dying; deal with it. I'm sorry." He turned around again and I grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait!" I said. He looked back at me with steely eyes. "Posy," he said. "Let go." I released his sleeve and kept walking. Feeling defeated by Nico's venomous words, I turned around, too, and started walking home. My legs were tired.

* * *

_Nico's POV_

**

* * *

**

Just a few seconds after I left her in the alley, I immediately regretted it. But I kept walking, kept my head up. I felt bad about what I said to her but I wasn't ready to apologize; as a son of Hades, it was in my nature to bear grudges, but this one felt the heaviest on me. If there's one girl that can annoy me to the point of ripping my hair out, it's Posy. Posy who demands so much of me and thinks we're friends. But if there's also one girl that can make me feel so guilty I could drown, then it's also her. Posy who looked so helpless and lost, and would be devastated by the loss of her grandpa. Posy who suffered nightmares all her life by her ability to see through the Mist, who always had questions, but never answers. I mentally slapped myself for being so weak.

* * *

_Posy's POV_

**

* * *

**

When I got home, my parents were out grocery shopping, so Peter and Francis were in charge. Grandpa just sat at the couch reading his book and petting Willow. His visit would soon be over. Maybe Nico's ability to see his life aura was wrong. Maybe he wasn't dying. I went up to my room and laid down on my bed. Nico's words were like a sword, cutting right through me, mercilessly. I'd never seen that side of Nico; he'd called me an idiot and a klutz sometimes, but this was different. The Nico I had just walked away from was unfeeling and indifferent, he didn't seem to care that he'd just openly insulted me or was practically calling my grandpa a dead man. I felt a small ripping sensation in me, like I had already lost someone dear to me.

"Posy!" Peter walked into my room and held out a tube of toothpaste. "What is _this_?" he demanded.

"It's a tube of toothpaste. You want me to label the stuff in your room for you, too?"

"I mean, why is the toothpaste _open_? You forgot to close it again, you're wasting toothpaste!"

"Get out of my room, Peter!" I threw a pillow at him and he dodged it. I was never much good at throwing anyway. "Get out!" he eventually complied to my yelling.

"Jeez, attitude," he said as he walked out. I wasn't in the mood for arguing with brothers today. I'd had enough of arguing; I was ready for a little peace and quiet, a change in pace for the day. I decided to change into my home clothes and then I'd go down and join Grandpa in a reading session. It might be my last chance to ever do so. I dressed in a plaid shirt and a regular pair of jeans and socks. Then I took Harry Potter down from the shelf. I'd read numerous times already, but it wasn't the book that mattered to me. I sat at my desk a little while looking at it, then I saw Willow. He went into my room and jumped onto my lap; something he never did.

"Hey, Willow," I said to him. "What are you doing here? We're going down to see Grandpa." I picked him up in my arms and carried him down the hallway. He was silent the whole time.

I dusted off the book and went down the stairs, making as little noise as possible so as not to disturb him. I entered the room.

"Hey Grandpa," I tried to sound cheerful, like myself again. "Can I read with you? Oh, and I found Willow, he was in my room."

Silence.

"Grandpa?"

Nothing. I started to get worried. My heart was beating faster and faster as I walked closer to him. He wasn't moving, his eyes were closed. And he was terrifyingly silent. I touched his hand, he was still as a statue and cold. I started hyperventilating.

"P-Peter?" I whispered. I took a few cautious steps back. "PETER!" I fled up the stairs again, dropping the Harry Potter book. Willow curled up on the couch next to Grandpa's body. I dashed into peter's room, tears in my eyes and looking hysterical.

"You could knock," he said, not knowing the emergency.

"Peter! You have to come! It's Grandpa he's not moving! H-He's not moving! Oh my god, hurry up! I'm scared!" he looked concerned now. He held onto my shoulders.

"Posy, what's going on? Tell me." he said, holding me an arm's length away and wiping the tears flowing down my cheeks.

"I was going to go read in the room... and Willow, a-and Grandpa! H-He's not moving! I'm scared!"

"Stay calm, I'll get help. Frankie! Call Mom and Dad! I'll get an ambulance!" Peter dashed down to check on Grandpa and call 911. I stayed in his room, sitting on the bed and hugging myself, breathing deep, holding on for dear life.

Grandpa was rushed to the emergency room that night. Peter, Frankie, Mom, Dad, and I all went with him, but we couldn't hold his hand or talk to him. We kept vigil in the waiting room; it was agony, not knowing. All my life I've had questions, I've had doubts, and I was tired of not knowing. I wanted answers.

Grandpa died tonight. Stroke is what the doctors said killed him. I was crying so hard I couldn't even see, I couldn't hear. All I heard was my muffled voice calling out to him.

* * *

__

Nico's POV

**

* * *

**

I was sleeping, because it was late. I was used to hearing buzzing noises in my ears indicating that someone had just entered the Underworld. So what was so different about this noise. It was the same buzzing noise I always heard when someone died, but why was it so prominent in my ears? Why did it wake me? In a few moments the answer was clear; Posy's grandpa. I never cried, or at least i didn't allow myself to. But tonight, I let myself shed a few silent tears for him. It wasn't my loss, but I felt connected to him somehow. _Find your way to Elysium_.

* * *

_TBC..._

**Yay! Chapter 4! Please review, kiddies!**


	5. An Invitation For Nico

**OK, firstly I wanna apologize. I said I was gonna take a little break to study for an upcoming Spanish test and project but... I don't know! I have no excuse, I was just procrastinating! Sorry for the long delay in updating, but I'm back now and I'll try to keep up with the story updates! But it's better to take long with a chapter and make it as best as it can be than just updating "hot-off-the-press" work just for the sake of updating, right? Well, once again, I'm really sorry for the long pause. Here's a little update of the story so far: Posy's grandpa has died and they are getting ready for the funeral now. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy! :]**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Percy Jackson & the Olympians_ or the characters in it.

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**Chapter 5**

_Posy's POV_

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Ever had that feeling when you're about to put a huge, tasty, hot slice of your favorite pizza into your mouth and then you just miss your mouth or it falls into your lap and then you get all disappointed or embarrassed like you just missed out on something _really_cool or like you failed a test or something? Or is it just me, because I'm clumsy like that? Anyway, I had that feeling for _days_ after grandpa died, it's not even funny. I know, it sounds like I'm describing a breakup, but my guess is that the feelings are basically the same; you literally feel like a big chunk of you is missing or like it's been snatched away.

Today is day four of my family's mourning and I think we're all on different stages of the whole Kubler-Ross five stages of grief-thingymabobber; Dad's on the anger stage ("Why'd it have to be _him_? Of _all_ people!"), Mom is on the denial stage ("This is _not_ happening. This is _not_ happening."), and so is Frankie, and Peter and I are pretty much on the depression stage. I got up at nine this morning, waaaaaay later than normal, even for grieving. Waking up has been hard lately and sometimes Mom doesn't even walk out of her room.

We had to give her breakfast in their instead of the kitchen. Dad's behavior hasn't changed much, but he's talking less. Same with Peter. Frankie is... I actually don't know what's up with Frankie. He _looks_ like he's sad, but he's going about as normal; playing video games and watching TV and eating like normal, acting like nothing's happened. But we know he's having a hard time, too.

I couldn't sleep well last night, I kept tossing and turning and lying awake in bed and wandering around partly because I missed grandpa and partly because of nightmares and partly just because I needed to pee. I was planning on just staying in bed all day, but I have the _worst_ room in the house; it's up front so the sun hits my window first and the light ends up on my bed. So I _have_ to wake up so I can adjust the curtains and get the sun out of my eyes, but the time that's done, I'm wide awake and there's no point in going back to bed.

I didn't bother with my hair when I woke up. I sort of of just made sure it wasn't sticking up and then walked downstairs. Peter was at the table with a forgotten mug of coffee laying snug between his hands. He was just staring down into it, probably wishing he could drown in it. I've never heard of "death by coffee", so Peter could be the first one. You never know. He looked up when I walked into the kitchen. Well, actually, he sort of jumped when he saw me, like the way toast pops up when it's done toasting. His eyes were red and he started wiping away a few stray tears, obviously trying to hide the fact that he was crying. Poor Peter. I feel more sorry for him; he never had the chance to talk to grandpa like I did before he died.

"Posy!" he said. "I didn't hear you walk in." He takes a sip of the coffee, but then makes a face and then pushes it away. Peter loves coffee. His pushing it away worried me a little.

"Where's Dad?" I asked, taking a seat.

"He went over to the church to ask about a funeral. Mom went with him to pick out a casket and, you know, dead-people stuff," he answered. "You couldn't sleep." It was statement, not a question. I just nodded.

"How'd you know?" I asked him.

He pointed to my face. "You have bags under your eyes."

"Oh." Funny, though; I didn't feel that tired. In fact, I had a lot of energy; I just wasn't interested in using that energy for anything.

"Anyway," Peter said. "What are you going to do today?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll catch up on a little school work or... something. You?"

He shrugged, too. "I don't know, either. I guess I'll get started on those funeral invitations and call up the rest of the family. Maybe. Mom said that I have to say one of the eulogies, too. _That_ should be fun."

"So you're going to talk in front of everyone?" He nodded. Peter was never any good at public speaking. I was going to talk again, but before I could let a word out of my mouth, Willow jumped up on the table, meowing. Peter moved the food away from the hungry feline. "Willow! Down!" He tried waving his hand at him, trying to make him jump back down. I put my hand up to stop him.

"Don't hurt him!" I said. I picked Willow up and hugged him to my chest like a baby. "You need to calm down," I said to Peter. "And _you_," I said, directed at the white cat in my arms. "You need to stop climbing up on the furniture." Willow licked his cat-lips.

_I just wanted food,_he said with his brown cat eyes as I walked over to the living room and sat down. Willow didn't leave my lap as I sat and thought about who I'd invite to the funeral; Ariel and Lauren were definitely coming, and maybe Min. I haven't known her long, but I guess it'd be okay to invite her. And Robbie, too. Willow meowed again and rubbed his head against my arm.

I ran my fingers across his soft milky-white fur and he looked up at me with his brown eyes. Brown, almost intoxicating, eyes. Like two marbles, more likely, with one black dot in the middle of each as his pupil, and it sent a shock through me. I held his face to look at his eyes better. I knew someone else with brown eyes, just like Willow's.

_Nico_, I thought. Truth be told, I almost forgot about my Italian demigod friend with the sword and leather jacket. I was mad at him a little, yeah, but I guess I was so caught up in my misery that I'd forgotten that I was mad at him. I was never good at holding grudges, anyway. They've always been too tiring for me. I let go of Willow and he jumped off my lap and back into th kitchen just as Frankie was walking out. He held up some envelopes.

"These are the funeral invitations," he said. "Me and Peter printed them up just now. Here's a few." He tossed me a couple envelopes and I caught them before they could fall on the carpet. I held them in my hands, and felt the crisp white paper. It was a little see-through and I could see Grandpa's name on the paper: Richard Orson Wilshire. I took out a pen and started labeling the envelopes: Ariel Joyner, Lauren Hall, Min Yang, Robbie Stein, and Nico di Angelo. Five people.

I got up from the couch and went upstairs to change into something... well, something that I'd wear in public. I settled on a simple pair of jeans and too-big-for-me sweater the color of a rusty wrench. Where'd I even get that sweater? The first thing I remembered when I got outside my house and walked about three blocks is that it's Thursday, it's 10 AM, and all the people I'm going to invite will be in school right now. Typical of me to forget something like that. I was too far, and, what the hey, I needed to get out the house anyway. It can't be healthy to stay indoors for so long.

After dawdling for a while, I decided to start with Knox Prep. It was closer anyway and it'll be good to get these invitation things over with. Ariel and Lauren were easy to find; they were in their usual spot near the bottom of the steps leading up to the school. I walked over to them and Lauren noticed me first; her eye got all big when she saw me and for a minute I hoped that my hair looked okay. She walked up to meet me.

"What are you _wearing_?" she asked me, looking down at my atrocious sweater. "Are you wearing Frankie's clothes?" Hmm, maybe that's where the sweater came from. I don't know why, but I felt a compelling need to defend it.

"It doesn't look _that_ bad," I said, pulling down on the sleeve.

"'That bad?' It looks like a brick with armsayes and a hole for your head!"

"No, it doesn't," I said again. Ariel finally came and interrupted the conversation, but of course after she makes a sly comment on my sweater, too. My friends are the best, aren't they?

"Ha ha ha, very funny," I said, fingering the envelopes. "So, um. How much did did I miss in English class?" Ariel shook her head.

"A lot," she answered. "We started learning about the history of the English language, read a little Beowulf, a little _Romeo and Juliet_, and Greek mythology. Got a new project coming up, too. And you misses Mr. Freeman's _very_ inspirational monologue about the Civil War; the union, the confederacy, the_whole_enchilada. It was very moving." I liked Ariel; she was funny.

"So, um, how's your family doing?" Lauren asked me, referring to our very recent loss of life. "Everyone okay?" I started wringing my wrists.

"They're doing fine, I guess. Well, fine for a mourning family, at least no one's thought about suicide yet or revenge or anything like that. Mostly, we're just sad."

"Aw, I'm really sorry," Lauren said. Ariel, too, extended her condolences. "So when's the funeral?"

"That's what I stopped by for," I said, bringing out the envelopes. I handed them one each, and then they switched because I had accidentally handed them the wrong ones. Oops.

"Do we have to wear black?" Lauren asked me as I was about to leave.

"What?"

"Black. Do we have to wear black?"

"Why would you have to wear black?"

"Well, duh, it's a funeral. Don't people usually wear black at funerals?"

"Umm, I don't know. Wear what you want, I guess."

"But I bought this really cute black jacket that I've always wanted to wear and it would be perfect with-"

"Okay! Then wear black. I thought that was just in movies."

"But movies usually reflect real life, don't they?"

"Do they?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, then. Hey, have you guys seen Min Yang or Robert Stein? I have to give them these invites, too."

"I didn't know you talked to Min and Robert." Ariel said. "But anyway, I think Min is at a Debate Team meeting so Robert should be there, too. They're, like, always together. I think they're cousins."

"I guess I'll give it to them later, then." I said. Just as I was about to leave again, Lauren pulled me back.

"Guess what?" she said.

"What?" Lauren was really big on gossip, especially school gossip. She never missed a beat and nothing goes on in Knox Prep without her knowing.

"You know that guy whose locker is next to yours?"

I gulped. I knew exactly who she was talking about. "You mean Landon Hunter? What about him?"

"Well," Lauren had a huge smile plastered onto her face. "I know you guys are all sad about the funeral and stuff, but I couldn't hold it in so sorry if this is a bad time, but you know me. Anyway, Landon came up to me yesterday and asked about you."

"He did?" I was actually more surprised than excited, like the way I thought I would if Landon ever asked about me.

"Yupp. I told him about your situation and he said that he's really worried about you and wants to extend his sympathies. He also said that he wants to see you when you get back in school. If I knew you were coming today I would have told him. Sorry."

"No, that's okay," I said. Landon Hunter wants to see me? I wonder what for. Probably he's worried about the "situation" ruining his plans on getting my mom's catering business to help out at the dance. "Anything else?"

"Just one more thing: who's Nico di Angelo?" That question caught me by surprise.

"W-What?" I asked.

"Nico di Angelo; who is he? It _is_ a he, right?"

"What? Of course it's a he."

"Just making sure. you can never tell these days. But anyway, who is he?"

"How do you know about Nico?" I got scared. What exactly did she know about Nico? Did she know that he was a demigod? Did I accidentally tell her or something?

"Well, you wrote his name on that envelope there. Who's Nico di Angelo? Is he one of your cousins? How come I've never met him?" Ariel butts in.

"Lauren, stop interrogating her! I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation on who he is and right now she just needs to get this invitation to him. Right, Posy?"

"Yeah," It's times like these that I really love my friend, Ariel. "So I'll talk to you later. I'll call you or something. Bye!"

I started walking away and this time Lauren doesn't pull em back. When I got a few steps away, I overheard Lauren talking to Ariel again, still on the topic of Nico. I wish they'd just drop it.

"Maybe he's her secret boyfriend and she just doesn't want us to know because she doesn't know what we'll think of him. It's plausible!"

* * *

_Nico's POV_

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Isn't it ironic that teachers tell kids that they should save trees by using less paper, and then assign you, like, 10-pages essays or tests with, like, 50 questions? Seriously, teachers should just make up their minds; do they want to save trees or not? If they do, then they should stop assigning work that uses up so much paper, it's killing trees and it's going against what they believe. I'm right, right?

I don't even know how those thoughts came to me as I sat there in my last class of the day, staring at the sheet of paper explaining our next assignment. We had to write an essay comparing and contrasting Mercutio and Benvolio and it had to be four to five pages long. Mercutio gets killed by Tybalt and Benvolio doesn't; there you have it.

Seriously, school could be so much simpler if it were up to me. I looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be as bored as I was; a couple kids in the corner were chewing gum and doodling, some other kids were asleep, a few were texting under their desk, I even locked eyes with this one girl whom I caught staring at me. I smiled nervously and she turned away.

I looked at the clock.

It's 2:19.

Eleven minutes until the bell rings.

And I can get out of here.

I didn't have much to look forward to today because I didn't have anything planned. Most of my friends were out with the flu, it's been spreading in this school and I'm trying hard not to catch it. Thankfully, I didn't have detention today; I got to all my classes on time and I was still worried about that dream I had. Not that worried, but worried enough to not act up in class, but also worried enough to fall behind in the work.

I didn't even know whether I should be worried about this dream; I'm not usually the one with dreams, that's usually Percy. But dreams are just dreams, right? Images that land in our minds as we're sleeping and they're normally nothing more than that. But I guess that's just the problem: I'm not _normal._NORMAL people dream about, I don't know, sugarplums dancing in their head, and shiny vampires, movies they wanna get at the video store and lottery numbers.

But non-normal people, like me, never have normal dreams like sugarplums and lotto numbers. Our dreams are always long and lucid and prophetic and they're never just dreams. They come to you for a reason.

I've never really been resentful of my being a demigod, but sometimes it'd be nice to actually be normal for once. Don't get me wrong, being half god has it's perks, but sometimes when you're a demigod you miss out on normal things. Speaking of missing things, I wondered what happened to Posy. Last I saw her she was begging me to help her grandpa or something. It'd been almost a week and I still hadn't seen her or heard from her. Another thing to add to my list of worries. I made a mental note in my mind to try and see her soon.

Wait, why would I want to see Posy? The last time we talked she yelled at me and I didn't think we'd be on speaking terms after that. I practically told her that I didn't care and walked away. Well, I don't care. Do I? I mean, of course I care if people die or not, but it's a part of life. You live and then you die.

I think the question I'm basically asking is do I care about Posy? It depends. In what way? I look at "to care" in the dictionary and I suddenly feel like a fool. Only fools look up words like "care" in the dictionary. Anyway, it says: to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard. Okay, so yeah, I'm kind of concerned about her.

But at the same time... I'm NOT concerned about her. That doesn't even make sense. Next definition: to give protection or charge. I don't exactly "protect" her, although I could of did when I saved her from the Nemean Lion and that hellhound. But that was, like, an unconcerned sort of protection. Oxymorons aren't helping much here. The next definition catches me by surprise: to have a liking, fondness, or affection for; to wish; desire; like. My cheeks started getting hot and I closed the dictionary and pretended to read the assignment sheet.

To have affection for? To like? Posy? No. Definitely not. _So why'd your cheeks get hot?_ the little voice inside asks. _Shut up!_ I yell back. _You were blushing!_ I bite my lip. _No, I wasn't! Now seriously, shut up!_ The little voice is gone for a while, but just before the bell rings, I hear it again. _Whatever you say_ it says, and it doesn't sound convinced at all. I do NOT have a crush on Posy, and just so it's clear, I make it a point to try and avoid Posy as long as I can. Apparently the Fates are against me on this one.

The bell rings and everyone is in a hurry to get out of class. A few of the bigger boys push past me in a violent manner, makes me drop my books and then calls me Freak-O. Is that supposed to be a spin on "Nic-O"? Freak-O? Weird. We didn't have just one established bully in Piece High, because in Pierce High, you were either a bully or a poor defenseless victim. Unfortunately for me, I was one of the victims. Although not necessarily defenseless, of course; I've fought back a few times, hence detention. But today, I decided to just let it slide. There'll be other times.

Anyways, getting back to my dream. Maybe this time, it really was just a dream. Usually, prophetic dreams are supposed to come true, right? Well, it's been quite a while since I had the dream and, hey, nothing's happened as of yet. so maybe it won't come true. Maybe I'm just being worried for no reason. Trust me, when you're half-god and all the monsters are out to get you, you have a lot to worry about; not just the essay you need to turn in next week.

Sally said that Percy and I are always so worried and tense and stuff and warned us that if we didn't calm the heck down she'd send us to a therapist. Sometimes we rambled about our worries to Paul who told us we were way too worried for 15 and 18 and we should just have ourselves a good cry.

I don't know; crying sounds girly. I only usually cried when it was about Bianca or my mother, whenever I had felt like I really alone without them and Father wasn't much help either (and neither was Demeter, who was always trying to stuff my face with cereal - "This boy is to skinnyyyyyyyyyyyyy! He needs more cereal!"). Although he did save our butts during the war against the Titans way-back-when. Hmm, maybe he deserves a little more credit. I decided not to linger too much on the dream; besides, if it really were all that important I would have had the dream again, wouldn't I?

I walked out the front door after I got my stuff from my locker. i didn't have any after-school activities or anything, so I was able to just walk home. I crossed the street and started walking in the direction of Percy's apartment. It was always _Percy's_ apartment, not ours. I don't know why, but it never sounded right to call it _my_home. I must've had a home back when Bianca and Mother were alive, but it's been so long and I can barely remember it, and they aren't here anymore.

New York traffic was heavy as usual and most of the cars were taxis with tourists in them. One of the taxis had a little girl in it with a huge (and I mean HUGE) lollipop. When I passed by she threw it to the ground at my feet. What a waste. Because of my ADHD, I stood there for a few seconds contemplating whether I should pick it up and steal a lick or two. It was dirty but who cares. Certainly not me. But germs are bad. What a dilemma I was in.

As I stood there staring at the broken lollipop I saw a shadow coming over it. "What are you _doing_?" I looked up. Posy. How ironic, just the person I was_not_ looking for. First thing I noticed was the awful sweater she was wearing; the color of it hurt my eyes.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," she said. What a coincidence; I've been avoiding her everywhere.

"Did you have trouble with bleach when you did your laundry?" I asked, gesturing toward the sweater. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know. It looks horrible. Take a good long look at it and get all your laughs out because I'm not here so you can make fun of me."

"Why is that every time we meet like this there's something wrong with...well, your hair or your weird sense of fashion. Is this going to become a habit of yours?"

"Oh, shut up." I can't; I'm on a roll.

"And that sweater of yours is traffic-stopping. Seriously, you should send me a warning or something before you wear something like that around me." I couldn't help myself.

"Okay!" she yells. "I get it! Awful sweater and the color makes your eyes water. Moving on!"

I put my arms up in surrender. "Okay, okay. So what do you want? You didn't come looking for me just watch me stare at a lollipop, did you?" I suddenly remember the plight she's in and regret making fun of her. "Oh, right. Your grandfather; is he-?" she nods. "Oh. Sorry."

The silence between us started to get awkward, but neither of us say anything else for about the next six seconds, until she presented me with a squarish envelope with my name written on it in her neat girlish handwriting, and for a second I didn't even recognize that the name was mine. She handed it to me and at first all I do is stare at it, like it's something to eat.

"My grandpa's funeral is the day after tomorrow. You can come... if you want. It's okay if you don't, though. I understand."

"Okay," is all I could say to that.

"Yupp."

Awkward silence once again.

More awkward silence.

Finally, she started walking back, taking a few steps backward before turning around and kept going, and I started to feel the word-vomit thing; I don't know, it just felt weird ending the conversation here. Usually when people end conversations, they end at like, "Oh, I have to go now, my dog is giving birth", or "Sorry to end the conversation here, but I need to bail my cousin out of jail, the silly boy".

So this is what i came up with: "Posy!" I yelled and she turned around and stopped. "Umm," I manage to get it out. "Just for the record, sorry I couldn't do anything, ok? I wanted to, but couldn't. And, um... I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I was just... kind of frustrated and you being all pushy didn't help either. Are you still mad?"

"No, it's okay. Umm, I'm sorry, too. I'll see you soon." she turned around again and kept walking, the awful red sweater with her. I watched her leave, her worn sneakers taking more steps and widening the distance between us and then she rounded a corner and was gone. And then it was just me, again. Just me and the broken lollipop. And Posy wasn't mad anymore. I stuffed the envelope into my pocket and continued walking.

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_Posy's POV_

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Contrary to what movies portray in films, the day of the funeral was sunny and nice, not rainy and gloomy. I think it's perfect; I don't think Grandpa would have wanted a rainy funeral anyway. The sunny weather suits him better. Mom and Dad picked out a not-so-expensive but not-that-cheap casket made of some kind of reddish wood. Our extended family came from all over to say goodbye to our beloved patriarch. Frankie very cleverly made little cards with Grandpa's name on the back and a little prayer. On the front was a picture of him in his military uniform. He was a Marine, and the uniform made him look youthful, strong, and handsome.

Ariel was the first of my friends to show up, and then Lauren, who wore were new black jacket (gotta admit, it did look nice), then Min and Robbie came at the same time and I started to get the feeling that they were related as well, despite looking nothing alike. Nico was a no-show. I should have known he wouldn't show up. Or maybe he got lost, which doesn't seem very plausibly since he can practically run into someplace dark and end up somewhere else. Or maybe there was an emergency.

When we all sat down, Petter took his place at the front, and unfolded a piece of paper; his eulogy. he looked calm and collected, but there was no mistaking the way his hands shook as he unfolded the paper. He spoke into the mic:

"Umm, hi. I just wanted to say that... my grandfather was the best man I knew. He was one of my best friends and every time I look back on all the hard times, the times when I was depressed, angry, embarrassed, or sad, I always remember that he was there for me and he always told me that no matter what I would always have him. My grandfather was a man of wisdom and knowledge and respect. But above all that, he was a man of love. And it's because of his love that I am who I am and I am where I am. He was a man of courage and he committed to whatever he did and he saw it from the beginning until the end. I remember when I was in first grade, career week; my teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up and who our role model was. While the other boys said they wanted to be police officers or firefighters and that their role models were... Superman or that guy from X-men, I said that I wanted to be like my grandfather. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be respected. I wanted to be wise and brave and happy and successful. To me, my grandfather was the biggest man and nothing could take him down. But right now as I stand at his funeral, the one thing I could remember about him that comes to me right away is: he always smiled. And I think that's an important to remember about someone; that they always smiled. He such hope, such optimism, such faith that the world was good and he smiled. I miss him, but I'm miserable or sad; I don't think he'd want us to be. I think that, more than that, he would have wanted us to celebrate that he lived and have faith that someday we'd all be together. Thanks."

When peter stepped down, we could all see that he was crying, but not because he was sad. It was for a different reason. Every applauded and when the service was done and everyone had mourned and placed flowers near the coffin, everyone filed into the back room to talk and catch up. So far, it seemed like my family was the only one seriously affected. A few of my cousins were in a corner; the guy-cousins were talking sports and my girl-cousins were grooming themselves and texting on their phones. Min came up to me.

"I'm sorry about the loss," she said, "If there's something I can do, anything, just let me know."

"Thanks," I said and then I gave her a hug. Robbie did the same, but the hug was awkward because of his crutches. I made the most of it, though. Ariel and Lauren were with my cousins, talking and conversing like they'd been friends for years; it made me smile. I held the card with Grandpa's picture in my hand and looked at it with a smile. _We'll meet again someday._

"Posy?" I heard my name called and I turned around. It was Dad and he was holding another bouquet of flowers. "Can you take these to the coffin, please? I really need to use the bathroom. Thanks." The bouquet was about as big as my torso and took both arms to hold, and then dad went off to find a bathroom. I shrugged and pushed past the big crowd of people, trying not to squish the bouquet.

The door leading to the room with the coffin had a glass window at the top, and through it I could see that someone was in there; dark hair, about my height, so I decided it was probably one of my cousins. Jeff or Ron most likely. I heard someone laugh and when I turned around to see who it was, it was Jeff with Ron next to him. But if Jeff and Ron were there then who was in the room?

Looking back at the figure in the room, staring down intently at Grandpa's body, I noticed that he was wearing a leather jacket. An aviator's jacket. "Nico?" I said half to myself. He turned his head a little, just enough so that I could see his profile. It was him, no doubt about it. Confirming my thoughts, I hurriedly began fiddling with the knob and opened the door, taking a little more time than I usually would because of the flowers. But when I got inside, he was gone. I looked around the room. Nothing. Not even a shadow or small remnant of him proving that he was even there.

I walked forward and stood in the spot where Nico was standing and placed the flowers on the ground next to the coffin. I looked at Grandpa's body. It looked the same as it was before, but as the men in suits came forward and picked up the coffin, ready to take it to the hearse, I saw what Nico had done. Just as the lid was being dropped, hiding the body, I saw two coins. Placed on each one of his eyes was a gold coin. _For the boatman,_I thought. The men took the coffin out of the room and toward the hearse, and I smiled. I guess Nico and I were okay, again.

I walked out the room and rejoined my family, bickering and talking about where Thanksgiving dinner would be and why Uncle James didn't show or Cousin Will's new girlfriend and why she had a funny accent or even Mom and how she could have the baby any time now; we still hadn't come up with a name yet, but we were thinking something old fashioned but had a nice ring. Something like Matthew or Sebastian.

Ariel and Lauren were still chatting up my cousins, who were complimenting Lauren's jacket. I went to them and joined in the conversation. Even with all the talking, there was no way I could mistake my mother's voice when I heard her talking to my dad. Her voice sounded a little worried, if not completely concerned. "Honey?" she said to him. "I think my water just broke." And that's when Dad went hysterical.

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_TBC.._

**I think people might have wanted me to describe the dad going hysterical, but I'm too lazy right now and my wrist hurts. Thanks for reading and keeping up with it even though it's been a long time since I updated. Please review and let me know what you thought of the new chapter! Thank you! :]**


	6. Sebastian

**I'm going to try to go back to my schedule of at least one chapter a week, but bear with me, I've got a lot of homework and projects to do so no promises. I just did a Spanish video project that turned out really fun, although we had to wait for a long time because one of our group members showed up four hours late and she's the one with the camera, but we should be alright. It's not due till the 29th anyhoos. I also just watched The Clique. I thought it was cool. Anyways, enjoy the sixth installation of "Locket". I've got the whole story planned out in my head, so I'm positive I can get this story finished. Sorry, but I'm going to skip out on the mom giving birth part, partly because I'm lazy to write and partly because I don't think it's relevant to the plot-line and I don't want to slow the story down, which is a pity since I think it would have been a very funny scene to write. But oh well. I think I will switch over to Nico's point of view for a while so people can get inside his head and see what he's thinking. I'm also planning to bring Tyson in, if possible.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **

_**Percy Jackson &The Olympians**_

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**Chapter 6**

_Posy's POV_

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What happened in the past few days was all a blur and so far the only thing I remember really really really really clearly is that the vending machine in the hospital ran out of cool ranch Corn Nuts and I pressed the buttons for that one so I didn't get my money back. But for your sake, I'll try to provide a small recap of what happened.

Dad went hysterical after mom's little announcement and started hyperventilating and if you were there you probably would have thought _he_ was the one giving birth, which is a pity since Dad had rehearsed his reaction to this announcement a whole bunch of times and when it finally does happen he freaks out. No one screws up an emergency quite like Dad. Since our car was out of gasoline, we drove mom to the hospital in Uncle Chris's car, and by the time we got there, Dad was a sweaty mess.

You would think that he's be used to this by now, especially since he's already had 3 other kids. I fell asleep on Frankie's shoulder after a few hours of waiting and then we were woken up by a nurse named Harriet with red hair and pink glasses. She told us it was okay to see Mom. When we got in, we saw Mom on the bed, Dad sitting next to her, and our new baby brother in Mom's arms, sleeping soundly and wrapped in white blankets. As I stood there looking at him, I heard Grandpa's voice in my head telling me: _When one thing dies, another is born. Sometimes not what was there before, but something wonderful all the same._

I looked at the little baby, my brother, little Sebastian, and I finally understood what Grandpa meant. It really was wonderful. Life, I mean.

Mom asked Peter if he wanted to hold Sebastian, but he said no because he was afraid of dropping him. Mom asked me next and I nodded nervously. I hadn't held a baby since my cousin's baby, Cole, was born about three or four years ago and I was afraid that I had forgotten how to hold one. I didn't want to be the first one to drop him. Mom reached out and placed him in my arms and I heard him breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

I felt his heart beating. And I felt like the world was perfect.

His skin was warm and moist and soft the way a baby's skin is supposed to feel like and I felt like I was holding something totally new and totally clean. I almost felt dirty holding him, getting my filth on his cleanliness. I'd been living fifteen years, and it was apparent that in those fifteen years I had lost some of the cleanliness I was born with, and seeing Sebastian for the first time sort of reminded me of that. So, I bonded with my new brother that very first time I held him. I knew that I would be closer to Sebastian in a way unlike the way I was close to Frankie or Peter; he was born under different circumstances: in the midst of a death.

I think Sebastian was trying to send us a little message: that even though things don't look like they're going to get any better, they eventually will. Even in death there's still life. Every cloud has a silver lining. Those uplifting sorts of messages that you find in calendars or tacked to a wall or find on online photo albums. And I had a feeling that the message wasn't just for me.

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_Nico's POV_

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Here's my typical day at school: I wake up around 6:30 and then I'm at school by 7:30. When I get there, I go to my locker (which, by the way, I share with a spider about the size of a lima bean. I named it Arthur. Just thought I'd let you know) and get the books I need for first and second period and always, without fail, one of my textbooks is missing. For the next ten minutes I walk around the school and ask if anyone has seen it, and I usually discover that Brenda Sloan, a girl bully who looks a little like a sailboat (I don't know why), has stolen it and has run into the girls' bathroom.

I usually don't bother to fight for my book back. It's just a book, not like I can read anyway.

Then first period, or homeroom. This is English class. My teacher is Mr. Fits and he's this short stubby guy with exactly nine strands of hair on his head who reminds me of the Santa Claus at the mall. We called him Mr. Zits and I'm sure you can imagine why. He always wears sweat patches, too and every once in awhile, when he's lecturing (I have the misfortune of sitting up front) he stands right in front of my desk and pats his man-boobs. It's sickening. And most of the time, this is all he does, he doesn't even answer questions or anything. The only time he ever really pays attention to us is if somebody farts. He probably wouldn't even notice if Alex, the kid next to the door, up and left the room.

Then second. This is spanish. Most of the kids in this class do not speak spanish at all and they spend they entire class time waiting for the bell. They want out, basically; they're practically freaking out because of how much attention they need for this class. This is one of those classes where I'm usually misbehaving and the teacher, Miss Mann (how funny), gives me this dirty look and says, "Nico! Don't be an asshole!" Can't you tell I'm her favorite? She doesn't call anyone else that but me. I'm special. Don't be jealous.

Break. This is usually when I look for a friend or something and then complain about my hellish classes while they pretend to care when they're actually staring at some girl behind me, which I don't get since the girls here aren't much to look at, and honestly I think I'm still half in that stage. You know, like in fourth grade when all girls thought boys were icky and yucky and guys thought girls had the cooties. In high school, cooties have a scientific name and that's STD's.

Third period math. This is one of my favorite classes, mainly because I like my teacher, Mr. Jenkins. He used to play football for the cowboys, but a knee injury ended his sports career. He hates kids, that's why he became a teacher: to makes kids' lives miserable, or so he claims. Personally, I think he's the coolest teacher here. He's always trying to get our attention and when we start talking or goofing off, he turns around and has this crazy look on his face. Then he points at the kids talking and says, "Dude! Shut up! If you talk, I will _kill_ you!" He's awesome, isn't he?

Fourth period. I forgot which class this was, but this is usually the period when a couple of kids looking for trouble hijack the P.A. and declare a "30 minute dance party!" and play loud music. No one ever dances, though, so their plan fails. I don't know why but whenever something wacky happens it's always during this period. Once we found a guy who didn't even go to our school wandering the halls. The dean tried to give him a violation but didn't know his name. See how awesome my school is? Kids from other schools ditch to come to MY school.

Then, Lunch. We have a snack bar at our school, and since all the kids in the building are just determined to be the first one in line, when the bell rings the ground shakes because there's so many people running, like a wildebeast stampede. "FOOOOOOOOOD!"

After lunch I have just two more periods to go and then I'm outta here. But I've recently added one more thing to my already-packed schedule: when I get out of school, I look out for Posy since she's recently decided that she'll show up at my school whenever the hell she wants without telling me first, which might be a problem because I haven't exactly told anyone at my school about her, and I don't want anyone getting any ideas about us.

On a lighter note, I learned CPR today.

Anyway, getting back to Posy. The bell rang finally and I went over to my locker in a not-in-a-hurry fashion and grabbed the books I need: math and english. I had a horrible feeling that Posy was already outside, near the back wall - waiting for me to walk over there so she can pull me into another one of her question/answer sessions. Not that I had anything better to do, but answering questions was not my forte - especially Posy's questions. My gut feeling seemed to be right, once I've shoved my books into my bag and slammed my locker shut. I walked toward the exit, that also served as an entrance, and as I was walking into the sunlight, I noticed that posy was, in fact, not at the back wall where she usually waited, but rather she stood right in front of me... on the steps leading to my school... in plain sight.

"Of course," I said with a hint of sarcasm in my tone. I push past her and start walking as if I were going home, but I knew she would be following me. I'm correct, once again, when I turn around and see her falling into step behind me.

"So, um.." she started. "H-How's school?"

"Fine."

"Oh, really? That's, uh... That's good. Learn anything new today?" She was beginning to sound like Percy's step-dad whenever I walk in the door after school.

"No."

"Oh. Well, maybe tomorrow. Are you... busy... today?" I stopped walking and turned around to face her, and that seemed to have caught her off guard; we were face-to-face by the time she realized I had stopped and turned.

"Are you _seriously_ trying to have a casual conversation with me?" I asked, still staring her down. Her face was a mixture of confusion and hurt at first, but it softened up after a second or so. Then it was just plain curiosity.

"Well, why shouldn't I?"

"I don't know. Maybe because just a few days ago you were spitting angry at me, didn't want to talk to me, I haven't seen you in forever? You are weird, Posy, really weird. You're pissed one day and the next time I see you, you're all happy and trying to make casual conversation with me like nothing happened. Wouldn't you want to talk about it or something, like a normal person would?" I turned around and started walking again, slouching, and with my hands in my pockets. I thought my little speech would make her go away, but instead I heard her laughing and then running up to catch up with me again.

"So what you're saying is," she said, moving up to stand in my path so I couldn't walk away. "I've been gone for a long time and you missed me, is that it, Nico?"

"What?" I said with slight disbelief. "Of course not. Why would I miss you? I'm trying to get rid of you. Jeez." I turned around and started walking the other way, but she caught up with me again. "So are you stalking me now?" I asked.

"I wouldn't call it stalking."

"Oh really? What would you call it? Following? Creeping? Pursuing? Spying? Hunting? Tracking? Trailing? Doesn't matter what verb you use, Posy, the action of following someone to the point that they're annoyed as hell with you is called stalking. What do you want from me, anyway?" I dodged a trash can as we were walking, and then turned around and walked the other way, seeing if I can lose her. No such luck.

"To stalk you, of course." she said.

"_Excuse me_?"

"I was just kidding. I actually need you to come with me, today."

"Where? What for?"

"To my house. I want you to see my new brother."

"To see your new brother? Why?"

"Well-" she was just about to go on, but the light changed and so I crossed the street hurriedly. Posy caught up to me and pulled my sleeve, making me jerk backwards. "I was talking. As I was saying, I want you to see him because-"

She was interrupted once again when a car honked at us and the man inside shouted at us to get out of the road because the light was green again. I told him to shut up and then went o the other side of the street, dragging Posy behind me by her shirt sleeve. She didn't seem to like that and slapped my hand away as soon as we were back on the side walk.

"OK, like I said, before we were rudely interrupted, I want you to-"

"Look, I've got a life, ok?"

She gave me a funny, almost comical, look. "Yeah. I've noticed. That's why you go straight home after school, right? And go to random funerals on weekends."

"Whatever, but I'm not about to go see you're baby brother just because you think he's so cute and you want to show him off to the world, this ain't show-and-tell, you know."

For the next few seconds we were both silent, and I thought she would leave me alone now, but she kept tagging along. "Still following me, eh?"

"C'mon, just for today and I promise I won't ever talk to you or bother you again. Just come in, see my brother, and walk out, it's that easy."

"OK, it's not it's hard for me, that I don't want to do it. Your house also happens to be in the opposite direction of where I live, so it'll take me a lot longer to get home from your house."

"Is that what you're worried about? I could just ask my parents to drop you off or something. It's not that big of a deal."

I turned around and put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Read my lips, Posy. NO." We both sort of stood there frozen for a second or two, but it seemed longer than that. I noticed that her hair was longer now. Not as long as when I first met her, but longer, and that her shampoo smelled fruity. I always used to think her eyes were brown, but I could tell just at that moment that they were, in fact, hazel-colored, and that she was shorter than me. Not by a lot, but enough that she had to tilt her chin up to look my in the eye. All of this I was able to notice in those few seconds, as well as the fact that I was standing really really close to her.

My face started getting hot, so I dropped my arm from her shoulder and stepped back. "Well, then," I said. I continued to step backward and pretended to tip the hat I wasn't wearing. "See ya." I turned around and started my walk, and when I looked back, Posy, thankfully, wasn't following me. A small smile of triumph crept up on my face knowing I had finally gotten her to stop following me. She had promised not to talk to me or bother me, and I sort of hoped that she would hold onto that promise, but I admit that I felt a little saddened by the thought of her never talking to me again, the thought of her hating me for this. I got worried; what if she did hold onto that promise?

My thoughts were broken when I felt someone ram into me with enough force to knock me down.

"Watch it!" I yelled, and by some instinct, my hand fell down on my hip and felt for my sword. It wasn't there. With a burst of energy, I was back on my feet and realized that whoever rammed into me had taken my sword. But how? It couldn't be seen by mortals, unless they could see through the- Posy. All the clues pointed at her. I looked up the street and she stood about twenty feet in front of me with the Stygian blade in her hand, waving it around triumphantly and just plain taunting me. She could stalk me, bombard me with questions, but when she steals my sword... well, now it's personal.

I was going to yell "my sword!" but I thought the other mortals would think it out of place for someone to lose a sword. I started running toward Posy, who whipped around and started running as well. And I admit that she was faster than I thought she would be, and I would have to use all my strength to run and keep up with her. She ran across the street and I followed her. Up the hill, down the hill, down the street, dodging cars, and pushing violently past people. My breath started to come out in tufts of air and I felt like my heart would burst through my chest if it pounded any harder or faster. My legs were starting cramp and to wear down but I pushed onward. Soon we were on her street and to her house. Damn her.

"Give it back, Posy!" I yelled. "GET BACK HERE!"

"So are you stalking me now, Nico?" I heard her laugh, and by the way she talked I could tell that she wasn't tired at all. Stupid track runners. And I immediately hated her for using my line. She dashed onto her lawn and I was just about to slow down as I neared her house, but she ran back to me and pulled me toward the door. There was no fighting it now. I lost.

"C'mon, Posy, seriously? All this just to get me to see your stupid little brother?"

"He's NOT stupid, ok? And desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Yeah, but isn't stealing a little... you know, extreme?"

"Well, you have yourself to blame. You weren't cooperating so I had to force your cooperation, and stealing your precious sword apparently did the trick. You were being stubborn, so I had to be extreme."

"Ugh. I hate you for this."

"You won't in a second." She took my hand, and although at first I winced at the contact of our skin, she didn't let go. She pulled me up the stairs. I heard some music blaring from one of the rooms, and the door swung open and I saw what looked like an older, more muscular, shorter-haired, male version of Posy and I drew the conclusion that he was probably her brother. And he didn't look too happy to see me.

"Posy, wait!" He yelled and Posy stopped just as she was about to take another step.

"WHAT, Peter?" The brother, Peter, pointed the finger at me with a demanding look in his eye. He seemed like a menacing type of person. Someone I would never have guessed was related to Posy at all, despite their common looks.

"Who is _this_? You're not allowed to have boys over, Dad's rules!"

"Shut up, Peter. I'm on important business here, and I'd appreciate if you just get off my back. You're not my father!"

"And just for the record, she and I aren't-" I started to explain, but Posy pulled me up the stairs again while Peter lingered in the doorway some more before deciding to put on a half-decent shirt and follow us.

"Posy, seriously; babies cry, poop, and eat, what is so important that I need to see a baby? And your brother; he seems kinda mad. I really don't think-" Posy pushed me into a room where the walls were painted blue and glow-in-the-dark stars were stuck on the ceiling. In the corner was a white crib and some song was playing, like those baby lullabies that come from little wind-up toys. Posy walked over to the crib and looked in it with gentle eyes. Then she looked at me, still lingering awkwardly in the doorway. She gestured for me to get over there, and I went. Standing next to her, I looked down in the crib, too.

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_Posy's POV_

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I don't know what caught my eye first; the look on Nico's face when he saw Sebastian, or the look on Sebastian's face when he saw Nico. Either way, it was really something special. Nico was neutral at first, but then I saw something on his face that showed a little... what? Understanding? Awe? Wonder? Curiosity? I think it was a little of all of those. Sebastian, whose eyes were closed at first, almost opened on instinct when Nico came into view. And he, too, was at first neutral, but after a second or so of just looking at him...

He smiled.

Nico did, too. Sort of. At least it was as close to smile as he could manage. I saw peter, from the corner of my eye, leaning against the doorway. He didn't look mad anymore, but a little... interested... in the situation, I guess.

"Do you wanna hold him?" I asked Nico. Nico whipped his head around to face me and he looked at me like I had just grown another head.

"What? No, I can't."

"Of course, you can." I reached down into the crib to lift Sebastian up, while I saw Nico turn his head around to look at Peter, asking permission with his eyes. I picked Sebastian up and turned around and placed him in Nico's arms, and taught him the correct way to hold a baby since he obviously never had before.

"Put your arm under here, and use the other one to supports his head and back. Don't drop him!"

"I won't."

I stepped back and looked between Sebastian and Nico as a more comfortable silence settled in the room. Peter left the room, and then it was just me, Nico, and Sebastian. I smiled.

"My grandpa told me, just before he died, that when one thing dies, something is born in it's place. Maybe not what was there before, but something wonderful all the same. I didn't really get it at first, but I think now, with Sebastian and all, I kinda understand it better. I mean, considering the circumstances and all, he, I mean Sebastian, kinda is like what my grandfather was talking about. He may not be my grandfather, but I love him all the same. I was sad at first because I thought I didn't get to say goodbye to him, you know, no closure or anything. but I think this is all the closure I need... for now, at least."

Nico was quiet at first, and he kept his eyes down, and then I heard him whisper, "yeah". We didn't know what else to say after that, so we decided not to say anything, respecting each other's decision not to speak. after a minute or two, I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye and I saw my mother standing in the doorway, looking at us. She didn't seem mad, either. Like Peter, she just seemed sort of interested. Nico seemed a little panic stricken and quickly handed Sebastian back to me. I took him from Nico and smiled at my mother.

"Umm," I laughed nervously. "H-Hi, Mom. You're home early."

"I don't have work, sweetheart. I'm on maternity leave, remember? Give me the baby." I handed him to her. "So. Who's your friend?"

"Oh. Ummm." I looked to Nico for some kind of explanation, but he just hurriedly shook his head at me and gave me a look that seemed to say, "Why are you looking at me? She asked YOU! Don't look to me for an explanation!"

"Well?"

"Mom, this is Nico. He's... um... a... friend of mine... actually he's Robbie's friends, and Robbie is friends with Min and I'm friends with Min, too and that's how we know each other. I just brought him here to see Sebastian because... he's doing a science project on the growth and development of human beings and he needed a baby to observe, and look here, we have a baby!"

I wasn't sure whether or not my mom would buy my explanation, because I'm sure peter already told her of my breaking Dad's law about bringing boys home. But then again, it wasn't like Nico was a _boy_ boy, he was just a friend that I wanted to meet Sebastian. Mom seemed quite taken with my explanation.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Nico. I'm Posy's mother."

"You, too." Nico answered, walking towards the door. after giving a final nod to Mom he fled down the stairs and I followed him, leaving Mom alone with the baby. We met up again in the living room. Nico was standing toward the corner, near the wall, fingering a plant.

"So, um, that's all I really wanted for you here. You can leave... if you want."

"I did what you wanted," Nico said. "So does that means you're going to keep your promise and never ever talk to me again?" I felt my heart sink. I had forgotten all about that.

"If you don't want me to-"

"It's ok, you don't have to. Besides, you wouldn't do it, anyway. You're way too stubborn to do something like that. Now where's my sword?"

"Huh?"

"My sword. the one you stole?"

"Oh... right." I went back upstairs and got the sword and brought it back down for Nico, who took it and slipped it back into place on his hip. "Thanks," he said. "No problem," I answered.

"Well, see ya. For real, this time." He walked out the door, and for some strange unfathomable reason I chased after him, again.

"Wait!" I yelled. Nico turned around, but he didn't look annoyed like I thought he would look. He just looked curious of what I would say.

"What?"

"Umm... I, uh..."

"Yes?"

Just spit it out, Posy!

"What are you doing on this weekend?" The question caught Nico off-guard.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Well, um. Maybe we could meet up or something. And just hang out. You know, like friends usually do."

He was quiet for a while but then he spoke again. "Friends?" I couldn't believe I was doing this. I just didn't want him to disappear and I'll never ever see him again.

"Yeah, friends. Maybe we could just go for a walk or something."

Nico still had that look of doubt plastered plain on his face, like he wasn't taking me seriously. Which sort of angered me; I was dead serious about this!

"Look," I said with more seriousness that time. "If you don't want to, you can just say no, like earlier today. You don't have to stare at me like an idiot, I can take a rejection, you know. Just say no, if you really don't want to."

"No." He said. My breath got caught in my throat, and I suddenly realized that not enough oxygen was getting into my lungs. He said no.

"No?"

"No, what I meant was... No, as in 'no, I'm not going to say no''. Sure, whatever. Umm. When?"

"Oh." Truth is, I hadn't actually thought about it. I almost half expected him to say no, and when I thought he did, I couldn't even breathe. "How about Saturday? I'll just meet you... in central park, or something."

Nico nodded. Then he turned and was finally on his way home. When I got inside, I felt sort of relieved, and not until I got in my room and closed the door did I realize just how serious my situation was. Hello! I have a _date _with _Nico_!

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_TBC.._

**Okie doke, so there it is! Finally, chapter 6! I'm sorry for the really long wait. I just get interested and uninterested with the story a bunch of times and I end up writing and not writing and stuff, so forgive me if this story takes a long while to finish...**


	7. Landon & A Nightmare

Yes, I know I suck for making you wait long. Here you go. I don't have much else to say in this little bold section at the beginning of every one of my chapters thus far. So just ignore these things and keep reading. Enjoy.

**p.s. this chapter might be slow if you're more into Nico's POV...**

**p.p.s. future chapters might require some suspension-of-disbelief... warning...**

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**Chapter 7**

_Posy's POV_

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Getting back into routine once I'm back in school was the hard part; I'd spent so much time at home that I had almost completely forgotten what my schedule was. One Saturday I'm in the church having a funeral service for my dead grandfather, and the next Tuesday I'm back in Mr. Johnson's math class feeling stupid because I don't know the distance formula because I wasn't here to learn it. You'd think they'd have a little more compassion for a girl like me. It's madness.

I remember when I was younger, my family used to have a vacation home in New Jersey, so every Winter break we would go there. We'd have so much darn fun having no school and no homework, and then after New Year it just suddenly ends, like someone's pulled your chair back as you're about to sit down and instead you bang your tail-bone on the hard floor. Long story short, adjusting back to normal life was hard.

I woke up around 6:30 or so, and since I had slept in until 10 everyday I wasn't in school, waking up four hours earlier drove me insane. It was a Friday, the only upside to my morning. I could sleep in tomorrow. Anyway, the usual: I got dressed, ate breakfast and soon I was on my way to Knox Prep. I thought about Nico while I walked there, after all, I had a little "date" with him on Saturday, and I thought about how stupid I was for suddenly asking him like that.

Of course he would get ideas! He's a boy, after all! It reminded me of that time, way back in third grade, when I gave Tommy Dodson a cupcake (it was my birthday and my mom brought cupcakes for my whole class) and he ran around the playground yelling "Posy got me a cupcake because she loves me!". In truth, I just gave him a cupcake because, well, I was supposed to give one to everybody. But he made a huge deal about it and even asked me to marry him during recess the next day. I said no.

Even if I didn't have a crush on Nico, I at least liked him, right? I liked hanging out with him. And even though I didn't appreciate most of his name-calling or insults, I kind of liked it because I knew he had to be near me in order to do so. It all just felt really natural and effortless, being friends with Nico. He wasn't like any other boy I'd ever met before, and it wasn't just because he was a half-blood. He was different. I've liked other boys before, just like any other teenage girl. But Nico was definitely different.

The walk to Knox Prep took longer than usual, the length of the time it took to get to school just seemed to depress me. The sun wasn't out yet, which only further added to the depression I was already feeling, and it had nothing to do with Grandpa. For some reason my thoughts wandered to Peter. I wondered what he was doing now. He had already started school, in fact he was the first one to bounce back to normal after the death. No more sad and droopy mourning for him, he went right back to bullying me and Frankie and playing football at school and dating his girlfriend, Evangeline, taking her to fancy restaurants and stuff.

I was never really friends with Evangeline. Not so much because I didn't like her, mostly because I never got the chance to talk to her much. She came over sometimes but she'd go right to talking with Peter and so I never really knew a lot about her. She was pretty, though; she had long curly blonde hair and she played volleyball, and she looked good with Peter. One time, she came over to our house for dinner. This was a while back, Peter and Evie have been together for three years now, but I remember this night particularly. It was the night Peter introduced her to us.

He was a sophomore back then, and Evie was a freshman in high school. It was the night of the Homecoming dance and freshmen weren't allowed to go, so instead, Peter brought her to our house for a "special" dinner. It's only special because Mom used her "nice" plates. Anyway, during this night, Peter and Evie were having a conversation with Mom and Dad that was supposed to be funny since they were laughing their heads off, but I didn't see what was so hilarious. We had a good time, I guess; Mom made spaghetti and Dad told Evie his jokes and she laughed (probably just to be polite).

The night wore on, but what I think made the night special was at the very end. Evie lived just a few blocks away, so Peter offered to walk her home. Mom and Dad said yes and then ushered me and Frankie off to bed. On the way up the stairs, I looked out the window. And I saw Evie and Peter on the sidewalk, hand-in-hand, just looking at each other and talking. Then Peter leaned forward and kissed her. And they were happy. They just looked so... happy. Just Peter, and Evie, the sidewalk, and holding hands. And me looking through the window.

Something inside me clicked after that night, and I can't quite put my finger on it, and sure, maybe I was 11 back then, but there's no denying it now. There's was something really special about that night. Something deeply special.

My walk to went on and on and on, and it seemed it would never end. When I looked up from my thoughts I saw that I was completely lost. I recognized the streets and the buildings, I was able to tell right away that I was absolutely nowhere near Knox Preparatory School. In fact, I was nowhere near anywhere that was near my school. I checked the time; 8 o'clock. Classes had started by now.

By now, I was panicking. I was caught between frantically trying to find the way to school, trying to calm myself down, and thinking up an excuse as to why I was late. There was an old man near a fruit stand.

"Excuse me!" I said, walking up to him. He turned and looked at me with expressionless eyes. Then he smiled a toothless smile. I tried to smile back.

"Umm, I'm kinda lost. I go to Knox Preparatory School and I kinda took a wrong turn somewhere. Think you can help me out? Please? Just point me in the direction."

He nodded at me as if he understood and then pointed South. "Thank you, thank you... er, _Gracias, muchos gracias!_" I started walking in that direction. Admittedly, it was kinda nice to get out of class and just take a stroll around the city; I was able to see much of the city that I had never seen before. I even enjoyed the long walk. I was, however, not excited about having to face my parents or the dean of my school.

I was beginning to guess that the man had given me bad directions, and I instead found myself farther and farther away from where I was headed, and it was already nearing nine o'clock. My new worry was: what if I didn't get home in time? It hadn't occurred to me that I probably should have just called my parents or Peter or Frankie.

Since the idea had now just come to me, I whipped my cellphone out and started dialing Mom's number. That's when I heard someone's voice behind me.

"You look kind of lost," it said. I jumped at the sound. It didn't sound like anyone I would immediately recognize; Mom, Dad, Peter, Frankie, Ariel, Lauren, Min, Robbie, Nico, none of them. I turned around and laid my eyes on Landon Hunter.

"Landon!" I said, surprised. He gave me a smile, something like a cross between a nervous grin and a glossed-over movie star smile. God, his smile is so perfect; just the right balance of shyness and confidence and it was hard to tell if he practiced it in a mirror or if it just came naturally to him.

"The one and only," he said. "You look kind of lost. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah, I am, but like you said, I'm really lost right now, I have no idea how to get there." I explained to him, and suddenly it dawned on me that Landon wasn't in school, either. "What are _you_ doing out here?"

"Ditching school, of course," he said. My jaw dropped, and I quickly shut my mouth again. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, nothing, it's just that... I didn't have you pinned down as the ditching type."

"Oh? Well, what did you have me pinned down as?"

"The staying-in-school-non-ditching type, I guess." Landon laughed a little. "Seriously, though, what are you really doing out of school? Because I don't think you would really ditch class, even the ones that you hate. You're on student council, you'd get kicked off, you know."

"I know," he said. "i'm not really ditching class. I got excused from school today because I'm recovering from a cold. The symptoms are pretty much gone and I feel great and stuff, but my mom's making me stay home one more day; she's scared I might have a relapse if I go back to school right after getting over a fever. We ran out of salt, bread, and mayo so I'm kind of on an errand right now. Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh, you too, I guess" I said. "I didn't you were sick."

"That's probably because you weren't in school at all for the past week. Speaking of which, how's your family?"

"Ah," I shifted my weight over to my other leg. "They're fine. They're just, you know, getting back into routine and stuff, but everything' all good."

"That's good to hear. You wanna go for a walk or something? Well, that is if you're still not worried about school and stuff."

Honestly, I had a hard time deciding. If I ditched school, my parents would skin me alive, and if the school finds out I never arrived, they'll call my parents, who, in turn, will call the police and they'll probably arrest Landon for kidnapping me or something and it'd be starting school off on the completely wrong foot. Plus, my chances with Landon will die since he'll probably hate me for landing him in jail, and his friends will hate me, who have friends everywhere else, who will hate me. Pretty soon the whole school will hate me.

"School," I said. Landon made a scoffing noise.

"We can fix that," he said.

"Hello, Mrs. Dunn? Yes, this is Mr. Felrose, I'm Posy's father- Yes, I'm calling just to say that Posy's still feeling very upset and- Oh, yes, I see- Well, she just doesn't feel ready for school, yet, Mrs. Dunn, so I would really appreciate if- Oh, yes? Alright, thank you- thank you very much- You have a good day, too. Thank you. She'll probably be up to it tomorrow- Oh, yes, I see; tomorrow's Saturday- Monday, then- Thank you, goodbye."

Landon hung up the pay phone after calling Mrs. Dunn in attendance with an overly deep voice in order to sound more like my dad. The conflicting feelings inside me were having some kind of war; I was giddy and excited because that meant I could spend a whole day with Landon, but at the same time I was terrified. What if Mrs. Dunn saw right through Landon's fake phone call? What if she recognized his voice? What if he got kicked of the student council? At the same time, I felt free and new and adventurous, like I was living wild and dangerous, in the fast lane, you know?

"Problem solved," Landon said, clapping his hands together like he'd just finished putting together a dinner table. I wanted to yell at him "problem NOT solved!" but I stopped myself from doing so. Besides, this should be interesting. I'm very lucky, you know.

"So how about that walk?" he said. I tried my best to put on a pretty smile, but I have a feeling that I just made a fool of myself. If I did, Landon didn't make a big deal out of it. He's not the type of person who wants to make you feel uncomfortable on purpose, which I love about him. He was a lot easier to get along with after I got past my being nervous in front of him.

"Sure," I said.

"Alright," he said. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, stood with his legs shoulder-width apart an then sighed. He then tilted his head up and looked me in the eyes. I kinda froze for a bit, but I quickly shook myself out of the stupor. "Where do you wanna go?" he asked me.

I really hadn't thought about it, where I wanted to go. It was a quick spur-of-the-moment decision to even go on the walk at all, I took a risk. There wasn't time for me to think about where I would want to go on this walk with Landon.

"Well, aren't you running errands? Maybe we should take care of that, first, before we do anything else."

"Ok," he said. "If you're sure about that, I don't need to be home for another hour or so, we can do something else." I chewed on my lip again, thinking of someplace I knew that wouldn't make me look like a fool or anything, but before I could say anything, I just said: "Why don't you decide."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Alright," he said. "Let's go." He started walking and I ran to catch up and then fell into step behind him.

It's a hard feeling to pinpoint, the feeling you get when you walk with Landon. He was taller than me by at least three or four inches, and his legs were longer, as well, but he didn't take long, dignified, stomping strides like any other self-satisfied boy would. He strolled casually, like a man aimlessly walking through a crowded street with nowhere really important to get to, but knew where he was going.

It was easy to walk with him.

He kept his hands in his pockets, mostly, but sometimes he left them out and let them just swing on either side of his body. His shoulders were back and straight and he kept his head high, although he sometimes glanced at me when I talked to him.

We didn't talk about anything in particular; we switched topics frequently during our walk. We talked about our classes and then suddenly the focus would switch over to TV shows or serial killers, even more personal topics, like our families and our childhood. I learned a lot of things about Landon that day, and somehow I felt closer to him in a way that no one else was.

"You got a boyfriend, Posy?" he asked me once we got to Times Square. I admit, my heart skipped a beat once his words reached my ears and my girl-mind immediately squealed inwardly and started trying to analyze the "hidden meaning" behind his question.

"No," I said. He smiled again. What does that _mean_?

"What?" I asked.

"What 'what'?" he repeated.

"You were smiling! What was _that_ all about?"

"What? Nothing! Forget it!

"Nuh uh! Tell me!"

"Ok, fine. Just that, I coulda sworn you had one."

That confused me. "Coulda sworn? What are you talking about, Landon?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging again. "I always see you disappearing after school, going to that one public school down the street. So I figured maybe you had boyfriend you were going to see or something. Was I wrong?"

So he'd seen me sneaking off to confront Nico. That explained it. It was sort of interesting to me that so many people were mistaking Nico and me for boyfriend and girlfriend, and while most girls would probably just straight out say 'no' to that question, I didn't confirm it but I didn't deny it either. In fact, I didn't know what I had with Nico. What we had definitely didn't have anything recognizable that could be tied with friendship; no texting, IMing, no casual talks, no friendly teasing, nothing like that. But whatever we had, I didn't see it as enough to be labeled "boyfriend/girlfriend". We just had a sort of mutual understanding. I knew one of Nico's deepest darkest secrets and... he trusts me, I guess. And I trust him, too.

"Yeah, you're wrong," I answered Landon's question.

"Ah, well my bad, then." he said. We continued walking, until I felt compelled to ask him the same question.

"What about you? Got a girlfriend?"

"Nah," he said.

That sparked my interest. "Why not?"

"I don't know. I've just got a lot of stuff going on, I guess, and I don't really miss it."

I smiled at him. "Ever had one?"

"Of course, I have."

"Oh yeah, of course you have. When was this?"

Landon looked up at the sky and crinkled his brow, thinking. "Last year, or something like that. But we kinda just went separate ways after a while, just didn't work out. I've got baseball, student council, school, family stuff, my dad, I was just too busy and she kinda understood that."

"Aww, ok. Do you still talk to her?"

"Sometimes."

Our walk went on, and soon it was 2 o'clock and I was supposed to be getting home soon. I suddenly wondered if this little walk I had with Landon was enough to be called a date. I then remembered my own "date" with Nico tomorrow.

"You should probably start heading home now," Landon said to me. "I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything, I'm just saying."

I nodded.

Landon walked me home, and by the time I got back, it was 2:30... right on time.

"See ya," he said. He then turned around and walked away.

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_Nico's POV_

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_It's rainy. It's very rainy. Looking up, I can see that the sky is gloomy, gray, and dark, and angry, and unforgiving. There are no stars; everything that gives off light seems to be veiled. Every drop of rain is as big as jawbreaker, as heavy and unbreakable. The big drops of rain seem to explode as soon as they hit the floor. But when I looked down at the ground, it's not wet. In fact, I can't see what the ground looks like at all. All I see is a misty haze that fills my eyes when I look down, and I can't see anything after that._

_Strangely, I'm not scared at all. I don't feel anything, or at least not yet, although there is something deeply sinister about the setting. Something that's awake and stirring, and will never let me sleep as long as it's around. And suddenly I begin to fear the haze that's only growing thicker around me. Soon, it swallows me up, and I'm filled with the sensation of drowning._

_The silence only adds to the unsettling emotions springing up around me as the haze continues to surround me. It seems too quiet. Even in the silence, there's the prospect, the idea, the potential for noise. But in this vacuum, it feels like sound never existed at all, and if you dared disturb the silence, everything could shatter, pulled right from between your fingers._

_But still, I felt like I should have known this place. It seemed recognizable, and it pulled at my memory, like the beginning of your favorite song or the smell of an old house you once lived in. De ja vu._

_My thoughts are interrupted by an ear-piercing bloodcurdling scream. It lasts only a moment, but the sound definitely existed, and it continued to bounce around in my head and it only grew louder as I replayed it in my own ears._

_"Hello!" I yelled. My voice echoed around in the haze. I stood still and listened. Nothing. But suddenly..._

_"Ahhhh!"_

_I covered my ears to shield it from the sound of that scream. It was louder then, and it made my blood run cold. I pressed the palms of my hands against my ears trying to block the noise out, but I couldn't. It was imprinted my memory. It was with me now. It would never die, like a deep sadness that just never goes away no matter how many happy things have happened._

_It screamed again, and it was closer now. And then I remembered it._

_"Bianca?" I whispered to myself._

_Another scream._

_"Bianca!" I yelled, with my hands still on my ears. After the next scream, I dropped my hands and started running. Running. Fast than I had even run before toward the sound of my sister's anguished cries._

_"Bianca!" I yelled again._

_"Nico!" I heard my name called... from the other direction. I skidded to a stop and listened again. "Hello?" I yelled again. I heard another scream. It was definitely Bianca. It was her. I started running toward her again, hoping and praying that I would get to her in time. I wasn't about to let her die again. Tears started filling up in my eyes, but I kept running._

_Suddenly another scream... yet again, from the opposite direction. And this time it wasn't Bianca._

_It was Posy._

_I stopped. And I stood, facing the direction Bianca's scream came from. Slowly and unsure, I turned and faced the opposite direction, where I heard Posy scream._

_"Posy?" I said with disbelief._

_I heard her scream again, and then Bianca from behind me. I felt like a brass bell, resonating with screams and having nowhere to go. Staying in one place, and not doing anything... only listening. I turned and looked back where Bianca was screaming, my sister who I loved. I really did love Bianca. I loved her as my sister, and it killed me that she died. And now it killed me that she was screaming and I had no idea what to do._

_And then I looked toward where Posy screamed. I've known Posy only about a month or so now, and weren't even that close. But over this month, I can't deny that we've gotten close. And that she trusted me. Would I betray that trust by leaving her?_

_I turned to look at Bianca's side again, but instead, I saw, in my path, the tall brown-haired boy from my past dreams. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. I was filled with both overbearing fear and a righteous sense of fury at him. He took a step forward, and turned and ran toward Posy's scream._

_"Hurry, Nico..." I heard Bianca's voice in my head. "Keep running..."_

_Keep running..._

_Keep running..._

_I was getting closer. I felt it. But then I saw the tall boy in front of me again. He ran at me. And somewhere in the middle we collided. And I woke up with a jolt._

* * *

_TBC..._

**OK, ch.7 done... thanks for reading.. please review, that is if you don't hate me yet...**


	8. Brothers

**Chapter 8, biotches! Woo! Well, since it's summer, I feel like I owe you guys a speedy update... This one is pretty short, it's just a little piece that I wanted to connect to the end of that last chapter but was too lazy.**

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**Chapter 8**

_Nico's POV_

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_

"Agh!" I woke up in cold sweat and out of the corner of my eye, I see Percy fall out of bed. I look around and I'm back in the bedroom that I share with him, and everything's back to normal. Thank gods.

"Nico, what's up?" Percy says with a groggy voice as he pulls himself up from the floor and shakes the sleep out of his eyes. His hair is messed up, and beneath his concerned tone I can sense that he's a little annoyed at being woken up this early. "What are you screaming for?"

"N-Nothing," I quickly say, although I know that Percy can clearly see that I'm hyperventilating, and I've probably got a wild look on my face. Like I guessed, Percy didn't buy my explanation and shot me a look that made me know that I wasn't fooling him.

"Bad dream?" he asked and then he yawned.

"I said it was nothing."

"That's a load of crap, Nico, and I'm not buying it. _Something_ must've happened that made you scream in your sleep."

"Oh, trust me, you probably wouldn't wanna know."

"Mhmm, sure. Let me guess, does it involve Bianca?"

"How do _you_ know?"

"I know," he answered. He sat on his bed again, but he faced me. He didn't look too sleep anymore. "Nico, if you're still kinda mad about her dying for me and all, I understand, buddy, but it's been-"

"I know! It's been... a long time. And that wasn't what my dream was. Besides, Bianca already straightened everything out for me before. I'm not mad anymore, Percy. Just-" I stopped there.

Percy studied me, studied my face, and I suddenly knew what a goldfish in a bowl felt like. The right corner of his lip pulled up into an almost-smile.

"You just miss her," he said. That one hit it home.

"So what if I do?" I said.

"If you miss her it's ok to say so," he insisted. "If you keep in you, it'll just eat away at you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean. What I'm saying is if you don't admit to yourself that you miss her then you won't be able to move on. You get me? I mean, you've got friends and all, like me and the half-bloods and stuff, but apart from us-"

"Percy, what's with the speech?" I said. "You been watching your Dr. Phil or something?" It sounded like he had the whole thing planned out in his head.

"No, I was just saying what came to me. Now, don't interrupt," he said. "Unless, of course, you want to tell me what your dream was about?" He grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak and sat Indian style on his bed. He looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Ok, yeah, it did have Bianca in it."

"Knew it," he said with a triumphant smile on his face. You'd think he just won the lottery or something. "Go on."

"C'mon, Percy-"

"Go on, go on. I know half-blood dreams are always a little bit weird, so go on. There's probably some kind of weird revelation or something. You _are_ the son of Hades so I bet you've probably got some really interesting things going on in that head of yours in the night. So tell me, Nico."

"You're so annoying, jeez. It had Bianca in it, I heard her screaming, I looked for her-" I debated in my head whether to tell him about Posy and the tall brown-haired boy. "I, uh.. there was a boy there and I ran into him when I went to get Bianca and we collided. Then I woke up. Happy?"

"Who was the boy?"

"I don't know, I've never met him before."

"Interesting," he said. He rubbed his chin like he was genuinely interested in who the brown-haired boy was.

"You know I was reading this book about dreams and it says that if you have recurrent dreams - well in your case it's not recurrent - but Bianca is pretty recurrent, it might mean your depressed or something or you have a hard decision to make that you've been putting off-"

"I'm not depressed! I just a stupid dream with Bianca in it and yeah, I miss her, there's nothing for me to decide! I'm not putting off anything!"

Percy shrugged. "I was just saying whatever, you know. It was probably just my ADHD talking anyway. Sorry."

I looked side to side and tried to look like I was looking around. "Are we done here?"

He shrugged again. "Sorry. Didn't realize it was such a touchy subject for you. I mean, I'm just the guy who got woken up at 3 in the morning by a piercing scream from his nightmare-stricken roommate-"

"It wasn't a nightmare!"

"Whatever, dude," he continued as he laid down in bed again."I just didn't realize that your problems were this huge and that you just really didn't care. But I'll let you call the shots tonight. See ya in the morning, then." He turned on his side, away from me.

"I'm sorry, Perce," I said. "What else were you going to say? If your ADHD is still up for it, that is."

"He turned and looked at me again, and snickered a little.

I smiled, but not really. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that.. you're sort of funny, that's all."

"I'm funny?" That's a first.

"Yeah. I mean, I know you and Bianca were really close and all, you guys were good friends. But, I mean besides Tyson, I've never had a rebellious annoying kid brother relationship with anyone."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean like I'm _your_ kid brother?" Another first.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," he said with a smile. "Kinda reminds me of when we first met at that dance thing. Gods, you were annoying as hell, with your stupid Mythomagic cards and your annoying little questions. I was about throw you in a sack and feed you to the wolves."

"_I'm_ annoying?" I said with genuine disbelief. I didn't consider myself really annoying, but I suppose from a different paradigm, I was. "You're the one who's always screwing up. Or at least according to Annabeth."

"Hey, you don't drag her into this, this is a discussion between you and me."

I threw a pillow at him. He threw one at me and then I tackled him and pretty soon he was pushing my face into the carpet. Sally walked in after that and told Percy to get off me. He was using his hands to keep my face down and his knees were on my arms and it hurt like Hades.

"Boys," she said. "It's almost 4 in the morning, don't you think you could have your wrestling match after the sun comes out? It's Saturday tomorrow anyway. And I understand, Nico, that you have a date tomorrow?"

"A date, Nico? You didn't tell me about that," Percy said. He tried to ruffle my hair but I pushed his hand away.

"It's not a date, Sally!" I yelled. She put her hands up in surrender.

"OK, so what is it called when a girl and guy go out for a special appointment on a weekend?"

"Just don't talk about it, ok? And again, it's NOT a date. I know this whole 'not a date' thing is pretty over-used, but that's the truth."

She smiled. "Whatever. Alright. Well, get some sleep you two and I better not hear another word from this room. I mean it. Percy, bed, young man. You, too, Nico. Good night."

"Night. Love you," Percy says and then he gets back in bed.

Sally leaves and then turns off the light. I go back to bed, too, and have an undisturbed sleep until the morning.

**To be continued...**

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**OK, and chapter 8, done. Review...**


	9. A Date Gone Wrong

**Chapter 9. Just want you to know that I'm going Philippines for three weeks next week, so if the updates are slow (you're probably already used to them by now since I'm totally crap about updates) it's because I'm in Philippines, there's a typhoon, the power is out, and my laptop is dead. Sorry.**

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**Chapter 9**

_Posy's POV_

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I slept in. I woke up, drool on my pillow, and it was almost 10 in the morning and it was broad daylight. I've slept in before, but not all the way until 10 AM! I kicked the blanket off of me in a hurry and then fled down the stairs, nearly stumbling as I went.

"Well well well," said my brother, Frankie, when he saw me enter the kitchen. He stood in the doorway and kept his elbow propped up on the door frame, preventing me from coming in. "Sleeping Beauty finally decides to grace us with her presence at this fine hour on a Saturday morning."

I pushed his arm down and off the door frame and let myself in. Peter wasn't in, but my dad was standing at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee and a pile of mail.

"Posy," he said when he looked up from an envelope he was holding. He checked his watch. "It's almost 10, hon, what have you been doing all this time? Late night?"

"Just couldn't sleep, that's all. Where's Mom?"

"Upstairs with the baby. You eat yet?"

"No, Dad, I just woke, remember? I haven't eaten anything at all. What about Peter?"

"You're so inquisitive this morning," he said with a slight tilt of his head. I tilted mine to match the angle of his.

"Peter, Dad. Where'd he go?"

"Work, I think. He's quit and applied so many jobs, I don't even remember what his current job is."

"He works at that coffee place, Dad," Frankie said as he took a seat neat to him.

"There you go, the coffee place," Dad took a sip from his mug and picked up another envelope. I went over to the cupboard to get some cereal, milk, and a bowl. Then I sat down across from Frankie.

"By the way, Posy," Dad said, placing the envelopes and his mug down on the table. "Your mother and I went to see about your grandfather's will and turns out, you know his little cat? Well he's all yours now."

"Really?" I said with a mouth full of Reese's Puffs, a drop of milk found its way down my chin and I wiped it away. Frankie laughed at me.

"Yeah, he's all yours. So, uh, I guess we're going to need some cat stuff for him."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said. Frankie kicked my knee under the table. I shot him a dirty look and then kicked him as well.

"Posy kicked me!" Frankie yelled.

"Posy!" Dad said.

"He started it! Not me!"

It went on like that for another five, maybe ten, minutes, before the baby upstairs starts crying and Mom came down to tell us all to shut up.

"Dad," I said. "I'm hanging out with one of my friends today at the park around noonish, is that okay?" I finally asked.

"Who friend?" he asked.

"Umm... just Lauren and her cousin, Nico," I lied. Nico and Lauren were in no way related. They've never even met before.

"Hmm, well alright, then," Dad said.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm gonna go get ready now, I'll be back later," I kissed his cheek and then ran up the stairs and back into my bedroom. I fixed my bed first, since it was still messy from earlier that morning, and then ransacked my drawers for something decent to wear.

One thing I noticed about my clothes is that most didn't even fit me properly; they were always too tight or too baggy. Another thing I noticed was that half of the clothes in my closet I didn't even like; a puke-colored hoodie, a long-sleeved pink shirt with a horse on it, a jacket with a chihuahua-shaped hood, rainbow-striped leggings, a plain blue shirt, a lime green shirt, a Depeche Mode shirt and I didn't even listen to Depeche Mode, and more.

"Ugh!" I yelled in frustration and sat on my (just fixed) bed. I looked over my piles and piles of unwanted or no-longer-fit clothes and sighed. Willow the cat came in through my open door and maneuvered intelligently through my maze of clothes. He jumped up onto my bed and sat on a cardigan that I had laying there.

_Well, what happened here?_ he said with his eyes.

I opened my mouth to answer, but thought about how ridiculous I would look talking to a cat.

_It's ok,_ Willow said again. _I get it, who talks to cats, right? Don't mind me, I'll just be laying here and watching you_. Willows curled up into a ball on the cardigan and gave a little cat yawn. Then he shut his eyes and took a catnap. I'd love to be a cat for a day.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a light grey shirt that looked pretty decent. I grabbed it off a hook on my door and then brought it in front of the mirror. It really did looked nice. I went back to my bed and grabbed the thin blue cardigan Willow was sleeping on (he didn't appreciate that much. _What gives, sister!_).

I paired the grey shirt and blue with a pair of jeans and white shoes. It looked good. I shut my door and Willow politely looked away as I changed into the outfit I had picked. I did my hair up in a ponytail and I was ready. I looked at the clock. Ten minutes until noon. That didn't leave me with much time at all!

I ran over to my desk and grabbed some money, my phone, and a thin silver bracelet to finish the look. I took a quick glance in the mirror before heading out my door.

When I neared the door, I remembered that Willow now belonged to me. I felt a responsibility to my grandpa then, and with that, I turned on my heel and went back into my room, grabbed Willow, and continued out of the house with a cat squirming in my arms.

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_Nico's POV_

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After last night's interruption, I can say that I wasn't at all happy about having to wake up again the next morning, but Paul woke me and Percy up at promptly 7 AM. ("Early to bed and early to rise, I always say!" Sure, Paul, suuuure.)

Although I hate to admit it, but I was actually a little bit excited to meet up with Posy at the park today. Not necessarily because I missed her or anything, but I was just anxious to get out of the house and do something.

12 noon didn't come fast enough, but when it did, I was out the door faster than a fat kid could get to an ice cream store. It was nice outside; the sun was out and all, no clouds, a soft breeze. the kind of weather that made me feel out of place, a son of Hades in a back t-shirt and dark jeans taking a walk out in the sunshine with all these happy-go-lucky mortals and their pets.

I made it to Central Park in good time. We had decided to meet up near that place where everyone goes to play with their little remote-controlled boat models. I forgot what it was called, but Boat-model lake-thingy was my name for it. It was 12:05 PM by the time I got there, and I couldn't find her anywhere.

I stood against a wall with my hands in my pockets and there I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And kept waiting.

I checked my watch: 12:45 PM. If that girl stood me up, all hell just might break loose. Literally.

At 12:56, she finally shows up. And she's got a cat with her.

"Where have you been? Rescuing a cat?" I asked once she finally got close enough to hear me.

"No, I just lost the time and I got lost and stuff-"

"What's with the cat, then?" I was confused. She scratched the cat behind its ears and it eyeballed me with its cat-eyes.

"This cat happens to be named Willow and it's mine now. Well, since I inherited him from my grandfather, that is."

"Inherited? Grandfather?"

"Yeah, when he died, he put it in his will that I-"

I put a hand up to stop her. "Yeah, yeah, spare me, will ya? I got that much, I just don't get why you brought it here."

"Oh, that. Well I brought him because I just thought that I should. Well, I'm Willow's owner now and I want to be a good owner so I decided to take Willow for a walk at the park."

I snickered a little, and then got a little bit closer to her. "Posy," I said. "_Dogs_ go on walks, not cats. You don't even have a leash for it!"

"It's a _him_, and I don't need a leash, Willow won't run away, he has nowhere to run to."

I looked back at her cat, and it looked back at me and hissed. I fought the urge to hiss right back at it. "Oh my gods," I said. "Are you kidding me right now? C'mon, Posy, it's a _cat_, who's ever heard of a cat going on a walk?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at me. "Well _I'm_ taking him for a walk and if you don't like it, then you can leave. How about that?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "You've got to be kidding me. You know what, no. I've been here waiting for almost an hour now and do you know how _hard_ that is for an ADD kid like me to sit here waiting, standing still, and having nothing to do? No, nuh uh, I'm not leaving! You and me are going for that walk you planned and I'm gonna be happy because I'm walking and doing _something_ that's better than _nothing_. Ok? Let's go."

I got behind Posy and pushed her forward with one hand and made her walk in front of me.

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"So why are we on this walk, anyway?" I asked with my hands in my pockets. After about ten minutes of walking, Posy, her cat, and I were in a section of the park that resembled a forest. There was still a paved road and stuff, but on either side of the road there were trees and stuff.

Posy shrugged her shoulders at my question. "I really don't know myself, actually," she answered. Her cat meowed.

I rest my right hand on the hilt of my sword that rested on my hip, invisible to the mortal eye. Except for this girl in front of me, of course. The weight of my hand on it sometimes caused it to drag on my road.

"So this whole trip was sort just a spur of the moment kind of thing?" I asked.

"Pretty much. But it's not turning out to be a bad day, right?"

I grunted in response. I had to admit, it really wasn't that bad of a day. Posy began to slow down, and soon she was walking right next to me, and her arm sometimes skidded against mine. I didn't pull away when it did, but I was careful to make sure it didn't happen more times than necessary. I was afraid she'd think I was doing it on purpose.

"What do you do in your spare time?" she asked. the question caught me by surprise.

"Why do you want to know?" I answered with a question.

She shrugged again. "I was just curious since it doesn't look like you do much other than school and the whole Demigod thing. You don't look like a busy type of person."

I looked around to make sure no one was around or dropping eaves on our conversation. "I am a busy person, just all my being busy doesn't always involve sports or clubs or stuff like that. I'm a particular kind of guy. And you need to watch out before talking about all that half-blood stuff, someone might hear."

Posy looked around just as I did. "There's no one here, Nico, just relax. You're making me nervous. No worries, I'm not going to tell anyone. I'll take it to the grave!"

"I'm just saying, you can never be too careful, you know. Plus, you've got a mouth on you and I don't know just how loose your lips are, but just make sure it doesn't accidentally slip out. Ever."

"Yes, sir," she made a little salute. A horrible-looking salute actually.

"Don't do that," I said.

The trees around seemed to go on forever. I had lost track of how long we'd been walking or how far we'd gone. I decided that we'd worry about that later.

"Have you ever seen this here before?" Posy asked after a while. I turned to look at what she was looking at. It was a grotto. The ground around it look shaky and unstable, like it could at any given moment. It was surrounded by rocks, and there was a large crack in the front. The trees around ensured that it was well hidden and dark. It looked like one of those caves that could easily have been inhabited by some form of human life millions of years ago. I had never seen it in the park before, but there was certainly an ominous air surrounding it. A gusty wind that blew made a whistling noise as it passed the rocky new mysterious park attraction. It seemed so surreal and eerily familiar, like an episode from the Twilight Zone.

"No, never seen it before," I answered

"Maybe it's new," Posy suggested. I looked straight at the crack in the rock. It was big for a small person to squeeze through, but as I kept looking at it, the hairs on my hairs stood on end.

"Yeah, maybe," I said. A small voice in the back of my head told me to keep walking and not to go near it, to put as much distance between myself and it was possible. "Hey, Posy, let's keep walking, yeah?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure," she said, as she turned away from the cave and followed me. We slowly got back into step, but suddenly-

"Agh!" Posy's cat fell out of her arms and it bounded across the road and ran straight into the crack in the rock. It was gone. "Willow!" she yelled. She held onto her arm, there was a red, bloody scratch on her forearm.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she answered, staring at the grotto. I patted her back.

"Sorry 'bout that, Posy. It's a huge loss. Let's go." I grabbed her upper arm and tried to pull her along, but she wouldn't budge.

"W-Wait, I can't go yet, I have to get Willow!"

I walked up to her until we were face to face. "Posy, your cat just ran into a cave. It's good as gone."

She looked at me sadly with pouting puppy-dog eyes. "That cat was the last connection I had with my grandpa, Nico. If I lose that cat, I lose that connection."

"You don't need a cat to feel connected with your grandfather, Posy, that's what love is for,"

"But I'm responsible to Willow! He was given to me! C'mon you have to help me get him back!"

"Are you even _looking_ at this? It's got 'death' written all over it! You cannot ask me to go in there and risk my life for a stupid cat! Ok, I'm not doing it! Are we looking at the same situation here? Try seeing from my point of view."

"Fine, if you won't help me, I'll go on my own. Jeez, Nico, you're such a wuss!" She ran away from me and toward the cave.

"A _wuss_?"

"You heard me!" she yelled back jsut before she disappeared into the cave. I stomped my foot on the ground. "A wuss? I am NOT wuss!" I kicked a pebble on the ground and then ran toward the crack after her.

"I hate her, I hate her, I hate her..." Seriously hated her at that moment for making me climb into a dark dangerous cave for a stupid cat.

"Posy?" I yelled once I got in there. Inside, the cave was wet and water dripped from the ceiling. It was too dark to see anything in there, and the light from the entrance did little to help me find my way around in there. "Posy! Where are you?" I yelled again. I kept walking, and every now and then, I would step into a puddle of cold water or hit my head against hard rock.

"Posy!" I yelled again.

"Shut up! I'm right here. I'm looking for my cat," I heard her voice, but I couldn't see her.

"What you won't do for your cat. Gods, I hate girls."

"And they hate you, too, but right now let's focus on finding my cat so we can get out of here."

"Right," I said. I placed my hand on the wall to help me find my way around. Slowly, I was able to see in the dark again. I saw Posy in front of me. She was still looking for the cat.

"Willow, where are you?" she said. She walked forward and kept going. I stayed a little bit behind her, taking care to remember where the entrance was. That was when I heard the brown-haired boy's voice speaking to Posy.

"Looking for this?"

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To be continued..

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**Haha, cliffy... well, review, guys, thanks...**


	10. Some New Enemies

**Oh, shnikey-shnikes! Yay, the very first double-digit chapter in the story! Woohoo! Countdown to Philippines: 7 days! Gosh, really hope I can finish this story. Thanks for reading... **

**ps. if u read, please review**

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**Chapter 10**

_Nico's POV_

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"Looking for this?"

It was him. The tall brown-haired boy from my dream. It was unmistakable, there was no way it could have been anyone else.

I felt the world closing in on me with that realization and the air was stolen right from my lungs. I realized now why the grotto was so familiar, why the hair on the back of my neck rose up with the very sight of it.

Percy said before that half-blood dreams were always different, and mine were no exception. They were visions, and mine was playing out right now.

"Landon!" Posy said, as she stood straight up. Landon. That was his name!

"I think this cat belongs to you," he held the white cat in his arms and then handed it back to her.

"Thanks!" she said. Her silvery cat meowed softly as it was returned to its rightful owner. Its eyes glowed in the dark.

"Posy," I called, but I don't think she heard me.

"Wait, what are you doing in here, Landon? This is a cave." Posy asked.

Landon didn't answer her question. Instead, he stood up straight, showing his full height and stared straight at me, his fists clenched and his jaw tight. His skin was pale, but colored by the flow of blood underneath and dotted lightly with the beginnings of facial hair. His shoulders were angular and were perpendicular to the rest of his body. His eyes were dark brown, and they burned as they closed in on me. He was a fierce presence.

I was torn in half; part of me wanted to turn around and run, but my more prideful side refused to let me.

"Landon?" Posy asked again. Landon broke his eyes away from me for a second and faced Posy once again.

"I just have a few things to take care of," he asnwered.

"In _here_?"

"You didn't tell me you were friends with a Half-blood, Posy."

Posy stopped talking for a minute. She turned around and looked at me with a questioning look on her face. I stared blankly at her and swallowed. She turned her head so that her cheek was parallel to the tall boy in front of her and looked sideways at him.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice shaking and dark.

Landon's eyes were back on me. I looked up, but kept my eyes off his face. I stared at his neck, instead. "You've kept us waiting, Nico," he said. "Do you know how much valuable time we've lost?" He took a step forward.

I grabbed onto the back of Posy's shirt and pulled her back a little, away from him. "How do _you_ know my name?"

"No one forgets a child of the Big Three." He takes another step, and I take another tug on Posy's collar.

"Big Three?" Posy whispers to me. "What's he talking about?"

"Shh!" I say to her as I grip tightly onto the hilt of my Stygian blade. I redirect my attention to Landon. "Who are you?" I ask.

"Why don't you ask Posy," he says with a smirk. I decide against it; I know enough about him to know that nothing good can come from my meeting him. Water continues to drip from the ceiling.

"Never mind," I say. Posy tries to wriggle away from me, but I keep holding onto her. "Let go!" she says.

"We have some...business to discuss, Nico," Landon says, continuing to advance forward. "It's very serious and it's important, too. Just follow me and we'll get right to it. Don't try to fight your way out of it; if you be a good boy and do like I tell you to, it'll end comfortably for you. Don't think I won't force your cooperation if you do, because I will."

I looked from Landon and then to Posy.

"We're leaving now," I say to him with a harsh guttural voice. I grab Posy's wrist and begin pulling her along back to where we entered through.

"Oh, I'm afraid no one's leaving just yet," Landon says after us. As soon as I turn, I see that our way been blocked by two other boys who're just as tall and threatening as Landon. One of them takes a step forward and grabs my shoulders. He pushes me backward with such force that the wind is knocked right out of me when I fall on my back. I land on the side of my hip where my sword is at. It clangs against a rock and against my hip. My elbow is scraped.

"Nico!" Posy yells. She tries to run toward me, but one of the guys behind her grabs her hair. "Let go!" she turns around and tries to punch him in the gut, but her grabs her elbow and pushes her back.

"Let go!" She yelled. She turns around and tries to punch the guy in the gut, but he grabs her elbow and pushes her back. I grab my sword and jumped back up. I run toward the one who's holding Posy and swing the sword sideways. It made a whirring noise as it sliced the air, but just as it was going to hit skin, someone reached over from behind me and stopped it with their sword.

"You're making this much harder than it has to be, demigod," Landon says in my ear. His voice is wet.

He presses the blade of his sword against mine so forcefully that I barely push back against hard enough to keep my own sword from slicing my head off. My arms shake, and with one last burst of energy, I push against his blade sideways and slip out from his hold.

I stumble backward a little and turn to face him, but before I can do anything else, Landon kicks me square in the torso. I fall and bang my hand hard on a rock. I stayed down for a bit, and felt a sticky warm liquid dripping down the back of my head and neck.

The one who isn't holding Posy grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me up and holds me so that I'm an inch from the ground. I grab tight to his wrist and kick his shins, but his grip is like iron. He doesn't budge.

"Landon! Why are you doing this?" Posy yells. Landon doesn't answer. His face is expressionless, not a trace of malice nor remorse on his visage.

He said: "Bring them." His words were as cold and and colorless as his young face.

They continued to walk and bring us further and further into the dark passages of the cave. I continued to struggle from the guy holding me.

"Let go of me, you fat-ass!" I yelled into his face. I wasn't lying; the guy holding me _was_ more horizontally advanced than most other people. He slapped me hard across the face and my world went dark for a minute there. Then I saw a light at the end of the cave.

When we got there, the man holding me threw me back and I landed hard on a gold tile floor. A pain shoots up my spine as I land. When I sat up, I saw that a pool of my blood had collected where my head was.

Posy was thrown in after me. She sat up, too, and scooted closer to me, whimpering almost. A crowd of people had started to form around us, and they closing in on us.

They're all young, I can tell. No older than twenty, at most. They're all angry, too. Everyone yells, everyone points. A few bolder ones point weapons at us.

"Demigods!"

"What are they doing here? We should kill them!"

"Have you come looking for us? Well you found us! There are hundreds of us!"

"Where's Landon! He'll know what to do!"

Posy scoots in closer to me and holds onto my arm.

"Where are we?" she asks.

I feel the heat coming to my as I turn to her. I pull my arm from her. "This is all your fault!" I yell into her face.

She looks at me and her jaw drops. Her face turns red with anger, too. "My fault? How is this in any way my fault!"

"Yes! Your fault! Because you wanted to go in the cave and rescue your stupid cat! And I said no, but you went on!"

"Well, you're the one who followed me! And I'm not the one they're looking for! I'm not half-god like you are, I'm just another victim here!"

"A victim? A victim of what? Idiocy? Yes, you are, Posy! Oh, yes you are! You SO are!"

"I don't know what the hell you did to get them so pissed off at you! Whatever you stole, give it back or apologize!"

"Me? I didn't do anything, you're the one who knows him!"

"Well, _he_ knows _you_! This mob is right about ready to hang you by the neck from the Empire State Building!"

"Argh!"

"Well, fighting won't get us anywhere now!"

"You're the one yelling!"

"Ugh!"

The mob quited down when Landon, dressed in Greek armor, entered the room. It was recognizable, too. It was the temple from my dream; the tapestries, the torches, the pool, the gold floor, the Grecian urns, the burning incense. There was no mistaking it.

Landon stood int he center of the room, not far from where Posy and I were. He scanned the room, looking at everyone's faces. Then he spoke:

"Brothers," he said. "Allow me to introduce Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," he turns and looks at me with an evil sort of smile. "The lucky demigod who gets help us complete the mission."

I let out a sort snarl as I stood up. "I'm not helping you with anything. You're crazy if that's what you're thinking."

"Kill him!" One of the guys from the crowd says, and a bunch of others yell in agreement, but no one moves when Landon puts a hand up.

"There's no need to resort to violence... at least not this early in the game," he says. He takes a step forward and looks down at Posy. "I'm sure we can make him see reason." I didn't like the way he was looking at her. Posy stood up and put on a brave face. She walked over and stood a little behind me.

"What do you want from me?" I yelled. My voice echoed in the hall.

"I'll give it to you plain and simple; I want you to take me to the Underworld."

"Yeah, that'll happen," I said facetiously. Landon frowned. He looked over at someone from behind me, one of his henchmen I suppose.

"Το κορίτσι," he said. _The girl._ The blood drains from my face. I turned around just as two of his guys grabbed Posy. They held her back by the arms and pressed a sword to her neck.

"Hey!" I yelled as I tried to run toward them, but from nowhere Landon pointed a sword at my chest and kept me where I was at. He pressed it a little harder and made me back up, closer to the middle of the gold floor. I stared him down the entire time.

"Should we try that again?" Landon said. I looked down and noticed that the sword he pointed at me was my own, which only provoked my anger further. Behind him, Posy struggled with her captors.

I pushed the sword away from my chest. "She's not even a Half-blood, she's not involved in this. In fact I don't even know her."

"Not very convincing at all, Nico. I'd say you two know each quite well, judging from your little date." It's not a date.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do _you_ want to go to the Underworld, anyway? You're not dead, you've got no business there." I racked my brain trying to remember my dream. And then there it was: _"You know the consequences if you fail me, Landon. Do not return without that urn." _

The knife-scraping voice. The depths of Tartarus. Landon was was helping the Titans.

"You're with the Titans? You're with the Titans!" I said.

"You must be god at math, Nico, you're good at putting 2 and 2 together. Now about our agreement. I have your pretty little girlfriend with a knife on her throat. We can fix that if you can get me what I want."

I swallow a lump in my throat. There was a lot to consider. Maybe this is what Percy meant by a hard decision to make. I wasn't the only one I had to consider now; there was Posy, and all the Half-bloods, and the gods, and my father. A million thoughts went through my head all at once. I had a few ideas.

"Let's go, Nico, time's-a-wastin'," Landon said with a smile, still waving the sword in my face. Behind him Posy was watching me, curious about what was going through my head. Worried.

"You're running short on options here, Nico," Landon said. "So what's it gonna be?" he said in a sing-song voice.

I blinked a couple times. "Fine," I said. Landon smiled, and I pushed the sword away from my face.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Landon said as he walked closer to me and shoved the hilt of my sword back at me. I caught the Stygian blade before it could fall.

"And that's how it's done, people," He said. The guys behind let Posy go and she ran over to me.

"Nico, what the hell is going on? I did know Landon, but I didn't know he was evil like this!"

"Shh," I said. "Start running towards the exit."

"What are you doing?"

"Just go. Go find Robbie or my friend, Percy. One of them and tell them everything."

"Why? What if you don't get out of here? This guy is crazy!"

"Just do what I say. I'll be fine." I tried to smile, but I couldn't.

I grabbed my sword and whirled around and swung it at Landon's back. At the last second he turned back around with bronze shield and stopped the blade from cutting him. It made a loud clatter noise as it hit the brown metal.

Landon, with a sword of his own, rushed at me and swung his sword with a full arm. I blocked it my sword and took two more swings, both of which Landon blocked with his shield. I rushed forward and swung my sword down from above my head aiming for his shoulders. Landon quickly stopped it with his shield and then kicked me in the chest again.

I wavered as I stepped back from him. His face held a dangerous scowl and his eyes were burning once more. I ran to him again and swung my sword at his head. He dodged the blade by ducking down. My heart was racing then. I swung at his head again in the opposite direction, he dodged and then pushed me with his shield.

I fell back. Around me, I saw that the crowd was getting worked up by the fight. My heart was still pounding in my chest. Landon ran at me with his sword pointed my chest. Thinking fast, I grabbed a shield that someone behind me was holding and stopped him. Landon took the sword back and swung down against my blade, hard. I didn't see what he did next, but next thing I knew, he was swinging the sword at me again and again from either side. Before I could dodge, I backed up a little, and then his sword had cut threw my shirt.

"Agh!" A slit of bright red was seen from the side of my shirt. He had cut me.

"Agh!" I gripped my side in pain. There was a burning sensation flooding that side of my body and when I looked at my hand, I saw blood.

I looked back at Landon. He had the same evil glower that was plastered onto his face since the beginning of the fight. I backed up a little.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him. I had to know. "You're half-blood, too. You're a demigod, all of you! Why are you trying to help the Titans? If they promised some kind of reward for betraying the gods, don't trust them, they're all lies-"

"Nico," he said. His eyes looked into mine. "Who said anything about my being a demigod?"

The whole world went quiet in that single moment after his sentence. I was confused. There was no way Landon could be a regular mortal, I knew that much. He was much too powerful to be mortal, too Greek, too other-worldly. My first guess was that he was like Luke, a demigod betraying the gods and his family. But now, he claimed not to be. It just wasn't possible. If he's not a half-blood, he couldn't be a god or an ancient hero from the myths. But if not god, demigod, hero, mortal, or titan, then what was he. The answer came to me.

"No," I said. "Y-You're half.." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.

"I'm not like you or your friends, Nico. None of us are."

"All of you," I said, looking around at the small crowd of people who had gathered to watch us fight. They were all the same. "You're half Titan."

Landon smiled a cruel smile.

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To be continued...

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**Sorry guys, I know, another cliffy... But I really just wanna save what I've got next for a separate chapter, alright? Sorry, sorry, but please review and tell me what you think about the whole half-titan thing. I wasn't sure whether to include it or not but i didn't want landon to be another one of those betrayal-demigod peoples so i had to do something about him. it's not weird, is it? not stupid?**

**-monay**


	11. Rescued For Now

**I have no legit excuse for being late with this chapter. I can only offer my apology (-.-) I'm sorry. This one is rather short-ish, forgive me.. -Monay**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Percy Jackson & The Olympians_**

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**Chapter 11**

_Nico's POV_

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"Science question, Nico," Landon said, swinging his sword around in his hand. "How many chromosomes does the offspring inherit from each parent?"

I was frozen, rooted to the spot as the world caved in on me with that one sudden realization. I knew the answer to that question. But I didn't answer it.

"Not a science geek, I see." Landon said with a snicker. He advanced toward me, slowly, with perfect nonchalance and with each step forward, I fought the urge to step back.

"Half," I finally answered. "23 from each for a total of 46." My biology teacher would be proud of me.

"Exactly," Landon was now a sword swing away from me and every inch of my mortal body was just screaming to put more distance between me and the taller boy. But I couldn't; running away would just let him know I was scared and I couldn't afford to be scared. Not when a whole army of half-titans who want to destroy me and my friends were in one room and had me surrounded and their leader staring me down.

"Haven't you ever wondered: if the gods can fall in love with mortals and have cute little half-blood babies then why can't the Titans? Well, obviously since I'm standing right here in front of you, it's possible. You've got 23 god-like chromosomes, I've got 23 Titan ones. Every one of us in this room has 23 pieces of Titan DNA."

Landon raised his sword and rested the blade on my shoulder and spoke.

"You may have won the battle, Nico; but this war isn't over. Oh no, if anything, it's only intensified. You go to your gods and remind them just how they came into being in the first place and you tell them that it's about time they stepped down. You're Olympians are dying; the age of the gods is coming to an end, and the era of the Titans will soon begin. And don't go trying to defend daddy and his friends; just think about it, Nico. It's in all the myths, all the stories."

Landon's sword got closer to my neck as he spoke and I cringed on the inside. He continued:

"Life for those ancient Greeks can be summed up like this: life is people dying and the gods feasting. They may have the power to control the weather, the sea, they may be able to fly and hurl thunderbolts at people but they are every bit as human as we are; imperfect, vain, selfish, and have a tendency to intentionally screw up. Now if you're kind enough to offer us a bit of help, I'm sure Kronos will be…merciful and let you live, even for a little while. I have no ill-intentions against you personally, Nico, this is all strictly business and my business is to gain your cooperation or kill you. I don't like getting my hands dirty, so make this easy for the both of us and come over to our side."

Landon's eyes stared straight at me, the white hot flames of his glare threatening to burn. The cold steel of his sword stung the side of my neck where it was held. Any harder, the sword would have claimed my head. But it wasn't the sword poised and ready to slice my head off or the cold blade pressed against my skin or the stabbing sensation Landon's stare seemed to hold or even the hot and cold pain the came from the fresh would on the side of my body that hazed my thinking.

It was the very words that poured forth from his mouth that got my mind reeling. And for a split-second, I even considered joining him.

There was some truth to Landon's speech.

Even I couldn't deny that; every god and goddess up in Olympus, no matter how powerful or stunning or glorious, was flawed. Every one of them, selfish and power-hungry. It's a sad turth. But even the truth could sound like a lie when it rolled off the tongue of a half-titan. And it was wrong to assume anything about anyone, even the gods. It was true that all the gods had chips on their shoulders, but they were good, too. And if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have met some of the best friends I've ever had. I wouldn't have been who I am today and neither would anyone else. And unlike the gods that Landon described, I was grateful. And I planned on staying the same and protecting that which Kronos threatened to destroy.

And as I continued thinking, I got angrier.

And it was then that I decided that even if this sword on my neck took my head, I would not let the Titans have me.

I held Landon's gaze as I tightened my grip around my sword with as much stealth as I could muster. "You can plan as many wars as you like," I said. Landon's eyes widened. "Just don't plan winning any, and don't plan on involving me. Because the Titans will _never_ win and I will _never_,_ ever_ join you."

And at last, I used whatever strength I had left to swing my sword toward him and it met his blade with a violent crash that resonated through the caverns. The force of the clang was enough to force Landon to take a few steps back. I looked down at where my sword was pointed on the ground; I had left a crevice in the stone tiles. Landon was taken aback, his breath heaving and eyes wide.

"You're kidding me," Landon yelled to me. "After everything I told you, after everything I said to convince you that you can't win...you're still choosing the side of the gods?"

I straightened up to my full height and looked at half-titans surrounding us. Landon's question was plastered onto every one of their faces as well.

"I'm choosing the side of my family," I said. And I don't know why, but the image of Bianca and another woman standing beside me became clear in my mind. I knew that the other woman was my mother. "I'm choosing to fight against evil, not for it. You won't convince me of anything, Landon. You may say that the Titans are the rightful deities of Olympus, but I'll tell you now that the only thing Kronos looks out for is himself. Whatever he's promised you is a lie. You can talk pretty to me all you want, but no demigod will ever join you."

Landon's widened eyes became dangerous again and bloodlust was clear on his face. "Then every demigod can die...starting with one son of Hades."With that last comment, Landon grabbed a spear that one of the other people was holding. He lunged forward and launched the weapon at me with a war cry. The spear was soaring through the air and across the room so fast, I could hear the whirring long before it got even near me.

Thinking quick, I grabbed the shield near me and hid behind it. The spear was thrown with enough force that the tip punctured the bronze and went through the shield, stopping just before it could stab me in the heart. I was pushed back by the force of the throw and had to steady myself. I discarded the shield after the spear stabbed it, and suddenly Landon was on me again.

He slashed downward with as much potency as he could muster and my arms strained to keep the blade from coming down on me. "Agh!" with a burst of energy I escaped from under his sword and a made a run toward the exit. I don't know if Posy got out or not, but I was hoping she did. Landon caught up with me. He grabbed the back of my shirt and violently pulled me back into the middle of the temple floor. The wound on my side was bleeding more than ever, but I couldn't help but notice a small tremor as I hit the golden tiles.

Landon seemed not to notice. He only continued to advance toward me. "You're not getting away that easily, Nico." he said. "You're not running out of this place like a coward. You said you would fight. Well, here's your chance." Landon lunged forward again and swung the sword at me and it seemed to have come from every direction all at once.

I swung my sword frantically avoiding his blade as much as I possibly could. It begame painfully apprent that I couldn't keep at this forever. I began to wonder what would happen to me; Nico di Angelo, son of Hades locked in an epic battle with a half-Titan. Would he die today? Perhaps in the next minute or so? Death to the son of Death. It was rather ironic, but the grim thoughts continued to pour out of me. I swung my sword again toward Landon's head, but for the third time, Landon kicked me square on my torso.

I felt the wind rushing out of me and it was as though one of my lungs had collapsed. Every bit of me ached, surrouned the spot where I had been cut. It was freezing and burning at the same time and I thought about whether I would die from cold or hot. They're both exactly the same if you kick them up enough. I fought the urge to stay down, but already landon was standing above me, ready to run his sword right through me and end it all.

"What a shame; you could have been of so much use to us. But you chose this." I stared at Landon. If I couldn't go down fighting, then I would go down glaring and the small tremors continued to go unnoticed. Landon swung-

_Clang!_

And the last possible moment, I saw the someone had stopped Landon's blade. Behind him stood Percy.

"Percy!" I almost gasped. The sight of Percy blocking Landon's sword was such a good sight to behold at that one moment. Landon looked at Percy with disbelief just before Percy pushed him back. Percy swung his sword from side to side with deadly accuracy, aiming for places where he knew Landon would have difficulty defending. The tremors soon turned into violent shaking; an earthquake that I must have triggered. The lights on the side of the temple began to flicker out one by one, and the wall began to crumble. All around, people were scattering like roaches when the light goes on and screaming.

"Nico!" I turned around and saw Posy and Robbie running toward me. I willed my legs to stand up, and as I did, the burning sensation on my side came back to me. "Agh!" Posy and Robbie came to my side and each of them grabbed one of my arms.

"Let's go!" guiding my steps and resting my weight on them, we ran toward the exit just before the wall near us could fall and collapse on us. Percy, still locked in battle with Landon took notice of the crumbling walls. Just as Landon swung at him, Percy stopped his sword and with his shield pushed him back onto the floor. "Run!" Percy turned away from Landon and came running out behind us.

The cave was crmbling away as well. Stalactites were falling from the cave ceiling and splashing in the puddles on the floor. The light at the end of the long dark tunnel became a beacon of hope as we forced our legs to run faster. The earthquake only got stronger and stronger and at last, we made it out just before the passage could collapse and trap us forever in darkness.

I laid down in the cold grass, letting cool air fill my lungs again. We had barely made it out alive. I looked around; it was starting to get dark, and Percy dropped his sword on the grass, breathing heavily, and he crawled over to me.

"You alright?" he asked. I looked at him and couldn't talk. I just nodded, although "alright" was far from where I was.

"What happened back there?" Percy asked me again. "Posy just told me that...-that you met up with some enemies. Who was that you were fighting?" Percy shook my shoulder as if demanding the answer. Not a very good way to treat an injured person.

"The Titans are back," I said. Percy's face fell with those words.

"Is it true?" he asked, not quite believing me. I nodded, and I looked at him and he looked at me and we both knew that we somehow had to tell Chiron and warn everyone. I suddenly became aware of Posy kneeling next to me and looking down at the bloody stain on my shirt where Landon cut me. She was scared; I saw it on her face. When she looked up, I met her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she started to say. "This is all my fault, I never should went in there!" I moved my hand to cover the wound and put on a little pressure to stop the blood from gushing out. That would just scare her more and after all we'd been through today, I didn't want her scared anymore.

"Don't worry about it," I said, although I was beginning to feel the small effects of severe blood loss. Posy looked at me and I knew that she didn't believe that I was alright. She was worried about me and I wondered why. "Thanks for bringing them," I finally said to her, and she tried to smile.

"Percy," Robbie said, finally revealing his satyr legs and horns. "We need to get him back to your place. He needs to heal and we need to contact someone from Camp." Percy nodded in agreement and he stared at me and Posy with a gaze that meant both trouble and understanding at the same time. Getting home without all the mortals seeing me beat up and bloody and raw would the tricky part.

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TBC

**That's all for this chapter.**


	12. The First & Last Hug

**OK, I do realize that satyrs are half GOAT, but understand that Posy isn't as informed as I am. She doesn't have the books to read like we do. Forgive her...she's mortal. Chapter 12, people. ps. if you read could you please review. I need feedback**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO**

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**Chapter 12**

_Posy's POV _

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Walking up the stairs to where Nico and Percy lived, I thought about the hours that had just passed and thought about how so much could happen in so little time; finding the cave and secret chamber that lay within it, learning that truth about Landon for whom I had previously had the most admiration, and the feel of cold metal against my throat. When I ran to get Percy and find help for Nico, I thought my legs would collapse from panic.

Percy hurried ran the distance of the hallway to the door and banged furiously on it.

"Mom, it's us!" he yelled. The door swung open and a tall woman with brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. They were worried, her eyes. The skin around her eyes seemed to sag a little as if from a lack of sleep, and they were red as though she were crying not too long ago.

"Oh, Percy!" she rushed out the door and went over to Percy, throwing her arms around him. She looked down at Nico who was clutching his side and ready to pass out. She took his face in her hand and examined him and then opened the door and led us inside.

"What happened?" she demanded as soon as Percy and Nico and I were inside. Percy took Nico into a bedroom and had him lay down on one of the beds.

"Ran into trouble, Mom. Titans, again," Percy said, frantically searching his pockets and rummaging around his room.

"WHAT?" Percy's mother said aghast. "What trouble? Nico is bleeding! I want to know what happened! Where's that satyr? We need help!"

"I don't know exactly how it happened. But somehow, Nico found out about a Titan plan to rebel against the gods, again."

"Nico?"

"It's true," Nico said, laboring to talk. "They wanted to use me to get to the Underworld. Their plan is to bring Kronos back by finding these urn things and one of them was in the Underworld, that's why they needed me."

Robbie returned with a white gauze and bowl of some strange liquid. My head was spinning by now; this was all too much for me to take in on one day. Landon was evil, Nico got cut, Percy's a demigod, too, and Robbie is a frickin' horse thing! My hand flew up to my forehead and I started to feel disoriented while Percy and his mother continued to shout replies.

"Percy, what on earth are you look for?" said a man from behind me whom I presumed to be Percy's father. Or stepfather since his father is a god.

"Drachmas!" Percy said, patting his pants for the so-called drachmas. "We have to contact Camp or Annabeth somehow. They need to know about this Titan rebellion."

Percy kicked the side of his bed from frustration. The mattress on his bed bounced up from the force of his kick and from under there, I saw small glint of gold.

"Under there!" I said, pointing to the mattress. Percy peered down at the bed and then lifted the mattress. Among the dust and miscellaneous small objects that find their way under a mattress, there lay seven gold drachma coins.

Percy scooped them up into his hand and ran to the bathroom. What he was planning on doing with the coins there, I did not know, but I followed him anyway. Percy fumbled with the shower, twisting the head this way and that until finally the water came out in a sort of mist.

He took notice of me watching curiously from behind and smiled as if the assure me. "You'll want to see this," he said. With the mist nicely falling in the shower, Percy mumbled what sounded like a prayer asking for someone named Iris and then the person he wanted to speak to and then tossed the coin into the mist.

I couldn't explain it even if I tried. But somehow, the mist started to…change. First I saw what looked like…oh god, like a rainbow and every so slowly, it shifted. The next image that the mist took was that of a tree. A tall White House Christmas tree-sized pine tree with a dragon wrapped around it.

"Chiron?" Percy says into the mist. I wasn't ready for it, but suddenly someone else steps into the image in the mist. It's a tall creature with the torso of a man and from the waist down he has the body of a horse. He has a quiver of arrows slung over his back and he stands dignified and tall. I recognize him; a centaur.

"Percy, what's wrong?" He said.

"How did you know something was wrong?" Percy asked.

"I had a feeling. Where's Nico?"

"That's just it. Nico's found out about another Titan uprising. He found some cave or something with Titans in it and they were plotting to bring Kronos back. They needed Nico in order to complete the plan."

The centaur, Chiron, looked away for a bit. His eyes were filled with distraught at the news that had just been reveled and for a second the mood in the room began to darken.

"Are you sure of this, Percy?"

"Nico wouldn't have made it up. I saw everything with my own eyes, the temple they have somewhere underneath the city, it was their fortress. They're planning something."

"What have done about it so far?"

"All we really did was collapse their fortress but I can't be sure they're dead. For all we know, they could be regrouping as we speak. But without Nico, I don't think they can put their plan in motion."

"Good. You'll be in charge of him, Percy. They'll need Nico in order to get into the Underworld. We can't let them. Keep him safe."

Percy nodded. "I will."

"Good boy. Who's that?" he said, tilting his head and looking straight at me. Percy turned around and looked at me too. I looked long and hard at Percy because his face seemed familiar to me. He was about as old as my brother, Peter, and his face tugged and tugged at my memory like a candle fighting to stay lit on a windy day. I knew him from somewhere even though we had only first met just half an hour ago maybe.

"She's a friend," he said. "She can see through the Mist. She's helping me to keep Nico safe."

Chiron nodded his approval and then the image in the mist dissolved. The water that collected at the bottom of the tub slipped into the drain and was gone.

Back in Nico's room, Robbie had dressed his wound. When I walked in, Nico had his shirt off and Robbie tightened the gauze around his stomach and over his cut. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks when I saw him and I quickly shut the door.

"You can come in," said Robbie from inside. I didn't know if I should open the door or not. It felt somewhat like accidentally running in on someone in a public restroom and then trying to avoid that person altogether. It was embarrassing, but I had to see Nico again.

Robbie left the room as I walked in, leaving me alone with him. Thankfully, he was fully dressed this time.

"You're not hurt, right?" he said, and for a small brief moment, the girly side of me was absolutely thrilled knowing that he actually cared whether I was hurt or not. But I didn't care voice that thought now.

"I'm fine," I answered instead. "And I really am sorry about all this. I can't believe I was so insistent on going inside a cave to rescue some…dumb cat. It's my fault you got hurt."

I couldn't believe I said that either. Willow wasn't a dumb cat, but it seems the appropriate thing to say right now.

I grabbed a chair that was near a desk and sat down next to Nico's bed, but he just shook his head.

"Landon planned it all," she said. "I would have ended up in that cave with or without your dog."

"Cat."

"Whatever. But one way or another I was going to end up there. Don't lose too much sleep over it."

For what seemed like the first time that day, I smiled at him. I don't know why I did, it hardly seemed appropriate, but after all we had been through today, I thought he might need a reminder of what one looked like.

"Nico," Percy's stepfather knocked on the door and then walked in. I stood up from habit. "Sally said you can you eat in your room." Nico looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Ok," he said. Paul nodded too and then looked at me. "C'mon, Posy. I'll take you home." He stretched his hand toward me. I looked back at Nico one last time before walking out the door. The drive back to my house seemed to take forever and I wondered what excuse I would give my mother for being late to dinner.

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_Later that evening..._

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I started remembering the nightmares I used to have. When I was a little girl, my parents used to drive me all over the place looking for psychiatrists, therapists, polysomnographists, and other shrinks and quacks and doctors to find out why I was losing sleep and having nightmares. But somehow nothing helped. No one knew exactly why I was terrified to go to sleep or why these scary dreams were coming to me. I was far too young to lose sleep over stress and I hadn't experienced anything traumatizing that would have triggered these nightmares.

But they still came.

I used to dream about monsters; horrible flying hags with black skin. Not black like the race, but black skin like a black crayon and hair like snakes and wearing grey robes. I dreamed about terrifying hybrid creatures, dragons with multiple heads, a green-skinned woman, giant crabs, cyclopes, birds with heads like women, sea serpents, and god knows what else. I always woke up screaming in cold sweat whenever I had dreams about one of the most horrible monsters; this one I couldn't rememeber because it was too terrifying, but if you could imagine a terrible storm mixed in with the personification of fear, then there you have it, one of my worst nightmares.

But there were also the harmless dreams; the ones that did have some monsters in them, but they were always dreams that moved along like a roll of film and I felt like I was watching a storybook unfold and come to life. A boy battling a giant monster with the head of a bull and body of a man, a girl going into a maze that seemed impossible to ever get out of, a boy with a scar on his face stabbing himself to save his friends, another boy raising a dead man. Those are just a few.

Of course when I was younger, I just thought they were dreams, nightmares, and nothing else. I didn't pay attention to them. And now that I'm older and given the series of events that jave just passed, I'm beginng to think that they were than just dreams. They had something to do with what was happening now.

But as I got older, I started ignoring my dreams. I started doing other things, I joined cross country. And soon enough, the dreams just stopped.

That's what I thought about as I lay down on my bed at night. Mom and Dad were pretty upset with me for staying out so long, but soon the heat died down and I was allowed to go up safely to my room. I was tired; my body was tired and worn and wanted nothing else but sleep. But my mind wouldn't let me. There was too much to sort through and think about. One of my friends had almost died today.

I shifted over to the other side of my bed and stared at the door. It was shut and the house was quiet and dark. Everyone was asleep now and I knew that should have been, too. But I couldn't sleep. And so I shifted my thoughts onto something else.

Landon.

I know I shouldn't think of it as such a big deal, but... c'mon, I really liked the guy. I liked him so damn much. I had been watching him, and staring at him, and looking out for him, and admiring everything he did. Landon was the school president and a nice person, it's hard to accept him as the bad guy. I had been watching him for so long and secretly wishing that he would come up and talk to me. And now that he has... well, what now? In honesty, he probably only came up to me because he knew that I was friends with Nico. And he somehow needed to get to him. That's harsh. The one time a guy I like actually talks to me and it's to get at one of my friends. What an unfair world we live in.

I wondered if he was dead, crushed by the rocks that had fallen back in the secret cave. Would he be at school on Monday? What would happen to him?

My eyes drooped shut and for a second or two I was asleep. I woke up again to continue my thoughts, but when my eyes got heavy again, I knew that I was done thinking for the night. I got comfortable in my bed, pulling the covers up to my bare shoulders and drifted to sleep.

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_An hour or two later..._

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I was having a good sleep. A very good sleep. I was peaceful for once, but all that was gone when I suddenly felt a hand on my mouth, muffling me. My eyes shot open and I screamed on instinct, but the sound was muffled by the hand around my mouth. It was still dark and sometime in the middle of the night and I looked up to see who had snuck inot my room.

It was Nico.

My pounding heart slowed down at the sight of a familiar face. Nico lifted his index finger to his face. "Shh!" he said. He let go of my mouth and went over to my door. He opened it and looked into the hallways, right and left, checking if the coast was clear. He closed the door and went back over to me.

"What are you doing!"

"Shh! You'll wake up the whole house! Whisper!"

"What are you doing here?" I whisepred again. Nico stood over me next to my bed. "Are you _insane_? My father will _skin me alive _if he finds out I'm letting boys into my room at night! You cannot be here, I'm serious! How did you get in here anyway? The windows are locked-"

"Shadow travel, duh. Listen, I-"

"I'm in my pajamas!" I interrupted, suddenly aware that Nico was in my room and I was clad in naught but a spaghetti strap shirt and pajama pants. I pulled my blanket over to cover myself. Nico looked at me and raised an eyebrow and my cheeks turned pink again (I don't think he noticed, it's too dark. But then again, he can see in the dark). Then he scoffed. He grabbed the sweater that I had slung over my desk chair and threw it to me.

"If that's all you're worried about, put this on." I slipped my arms and head through the holes and felt more comfortable.

"What do you want? It's the middle of the night."

"I know. But it can't wait." Nico sighed and his eyes wandered to the floor. I suddenly felt worried about the news he had to bring.

"What's so important that you have to tell me now? Can't you tell me tomorrow, what if you get caught?"

"Shh! I-" Nico never finished the sentence, because right then, we both heard a pair of footsteps at the door. Nico and I looked at each other in panic and I ducked back under the covers and feigned sleep as the door open and the lights went on. Frankie stood in the doorway.

He was still half asleep as he walked into my room; his hair looked like a freakin' broom and he was drooling. Ew. He looked around for a while before spotting my hair brush. He picked it up, examined it, and then walked right back out of my room with my brush and turned off the lights. So that's where my stuff was disappearing to.

I waited a few seconds in my beds in case he came back. When I was sure that Frankie was long gone, I sat up in bed again, but Nico was nowhere in sight.

"Nico?" I whispered into the darkness. "Nico, you there?" no answer. I was a bit disappointed. I sighed and decided to go back to sleep, but before I could even lay my head on my pillow, a dark figure rolled out from under my bed. I had a mini-heart attack and covered my mouth to keep from screaming.

"That was close," Nico said, peeling one of my lost socks from his jackets and tossing it on the floor.

"Stop doing that!" I said. "You're scaring the bajeezes out of me, gosh! Anyway, so you were saying?"

Nico kept his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

"I can't see you anymore," he said. The color from my face was drained. What did he mean?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, we can't see each other anymore and I can't hang out with you or anything. You have to stop coming to look for me, alright?"

"I don't understand. Why?"

"Because of what happened earlier today. You got involved in the Titans' plan and if it gets any further, well.. you might get hurt."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. He made me sound like a little child being scolded, telling me not to climb a tree because I might fall. I was tired of being treated like the baby and I didn't want it anymore. I thought it would all end with the birth of Sebastian.

"Well... so?" I said. "I can handle a little trouble, I'm not a little kid."

"It's not a matter of whether you can handle it or not, Posy. And it'll be more than a 'little trouble', I mean you could be seriously hurt and you'd put your family in danger, too."

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't argue with me. I'm sorry, but you can't have anything more to do with me. It's too dangerous and I can't fight the Titans if I'm concerned for you. It's for your own good." Nico stood in front of me and didn't move an inch. I tried to search his face for some sign that this was all a joke and we could still be friends. But there was nothing to indicate that. He was being completely serious.

"Being a demigod is kind of like digging a hole. The older you get, the deeper the hole. And soon it'll be to hard to get out of it. So don't fall in."

"So... you came here to say goodbye, then?"

I tried my hardest not to cry because I didn't want to look like a blubbering idiot in front of him. But my lip was already quivering from the effort. I didn't want him to leave. Even though we'd only known each other for a short while, I already felt as close to Nico as I did with Ariel, Lauren, and all my other friends. And like my other friends, it would be hard to let him go. God, I sound like such an emotional idiot. Nico wasn't even my boyfriend, and already I felt like he just broke up with me. What is wrong with me? Jeez...

"Pretty much," he said. I couldn't understand how he could just talk without his voice breaking from sadness like me. I forced myself to look up at him.

"Oh, don't start crying," he said. His hand flew up to scratch the back of his head, something he did whenever he became upset. "Please, don't. I'm really sorry it's gotta be like this, but Percy and I talked about it and we both agree that this is the best path. Don't make this difficult, Posy."

He looked at me with pleading eyes, like a puppy. And so I just nodded, accepting the decision made for me. He sighed again. "Alright. I'm sorry I woke you. Really, I am. Go back to sleep." I nodded again but dind't make a single move to go back to my bed. Instead, I stood in front of him and tried to memorize his face; his dark hair, his eyes, his olive skin, the way his eyebrows moved too much when he spoke, his leather aviator jacket.

And because there was nothing else to say or do, I hugged him.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged my newest friend that I would have to say goodbye to. I took in his smell, as dorky as it sounds. But I did. Ironically, that smell wasn't one of death. That outdoorsy, grassy, wonderful smell that had just a small trace of the scent of blood is what came to me. I pressed the side of my face on the cold leather of his jacket and didn't feel akward at all.

It was the first time I ever hugged Nico. And with a grimm realization, it would probably be the last and only time I would ever hug him.

I felt Nico tense and tighten up but I continued with it anyway. After a few seconds, he relaxed, and I felt him hug me back. After I let go, he nodded toward me, and then he turned and ran at a dark shadow on the wall and was gone, just like that. And I went back to bed, but couldn't sleep. I was too busy thinking about a demigod who saved me from a hellhound.

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_TBC_

**That's all for now.. hope this redeems me from the long hiatus (no it doesn't) .. please review :)**


	13. Posy Confesses

**Yes! Finals are over and I am a FREE woman, ladies&gentlemen! I hope I get good grades. Anyway, thanks for sticking with the story. Wishing everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS & a prosperous new year! Please read&review! :D Again, apologizing for slow chapters. Another short one, sorryy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

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**Chapter 13**

_Posy's POV - two weeks later_

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"Julius Caesar" said Ariel. I lounged back in my seat, tossing my head back a little to get a good view of the ceiling. It was yellowing from old age and crumbling around the small dots that had been permanently drilled into the ceiling tiles. I wondered how old it was really. A few parts of it were still pale where it was painted white. A pale white that reminded me of Nico's pale skin. Although he wasn't as white as the ceiling, that's what came to mind as I looked up at it.

"Posy! Julius Caesar!" Ariel said again, snapping her fingers in my face.

"Huh?" I said, perking up although the ceiling was still lingering in my mind. Ariel was supposed to be quizzing me for an upcoming history test but it seemed that I wasn't paying attention at all. Ariel huffed at me and straightened out the index cards again.

"Let's try this again: Julius Caesar," she said, prompting me for the answer. Truth be told, I didn't what the whole test would be about at all, I have no idea. I hardly ever pay attention in class anymore. I'm too distracted and my mind isn't with me anymore. It keeps wandering. Away from here and out into the world to find out what has happened to a certain dark-haired boy I know. _Used to know_, I corrected myself.

"Umm," I started out, trying to answer the question. "I don't know. He died." Ariel looked at me quizzically and inspected my face as if the answer to her question were somewhere there.

"Alright, good enough, I guess," she said. She went on to the next card. I thought about Nico again. Gods, I need to stop thinking about him. It's been two weeks since I last saw him, since we decided that it'd be best to pretend we'd never met. Since _he_ decided. I'd gotten along just fine without Nico and if I really tried, I'm sure I could could get along by myself again. And being without him should've made things easier; no more monsters, no more Titans, no more secrets. But instead, I felt likeI was missing something. I felt like that awkward moment when you leave one of your books in your locker. A feeling that you would describe as...ill-equipped?

"Justinian code."

"Umm.. A code that Justin made." Ariel gathered the index cards and straightened them out again and then bound them together with a rubber band.

"Yeah, you'll pass for sure," she said sarcastically. Ariel started to put her things in her bag and seemed to avoid eye contact with me. I started to feel sorry for her.

"Ariel, I'm sorry," I said. I straightened up in my seat and faced her. Ariel looked at me again, neither angry nor annoyed.

"You're really distracted," she said. "Is something on your mind? You haven't been yourself these past few days."

"I know," I said. "I guess I'm just really stressed out about finals coming up."

"Everyone gets stressed but you just look straight up...depressed. Are you sure everything's okay? Is the new baby crying and keeping you up all night?"

"The baby is fine," I answered. "Don't worry about me." I started packing up my books to leave for my next class but Ariel spoke again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she said. I looked back at her and saw that she was genuinely concerned about me. I knew she was worried; everyone was but I couldn't just tell her about my problems. Because my rpoblems concerned Nico and Nico problems were much more complicated than regular worries over finals and boy problems. Regular boy problems at least. But Ariel was somewhat right; I did want to talk about it to someone. And who better would understand than one of my best friends.

"Does it involve a boy?" Ariel asked. Oh yeah...she's good. I sat back down.

"Kind of," I answered, shrugging my shoulders. Ariel's face lit up; she loves handling boy problems.

"I knew it," she said. "I can always tell. But I never expected it from you, Posy. You're always so...conservative, for lack of a better word. But nevermind. So! Tell me all about it."

I started by telling Ariel about how I met Nico in the first place, and as I did, I watched her face for any signs that I should stop or maybe she was taking it as a joke. But Ariel kept her face intent on listening to every word that poured forth from my mouth. I told her about the Nemean Lion and how Nico had accurately predicted Grandpa's death, and I ended with the fight in the hidden fortress, casually leaving out the fact that he had nysteriously appeared in my bedroom in the dead of night. And when I finished my story, I sat back, relieved. It felt good to tell someone, to ease my burden for a little bit.

"You have to swear not to tell anyone, not even Lauren!" I said.

"I won't, don't worry. I'll take it to the grave," Ariel said. "Wow. So this Nico kid is pretty special, huh?" Ariel smiled in such a way that made me feel a little uncomfortable with the way she voiced that question. She leaned forward to catch my answer.

"Well, what do you mean?" I asked.

"Hang on," Ariel said, looking ready to burst. "Isn't he that one boy you were going to invite to the funeral?" My mouth twitched into sort of a smile, but it didn't stay that way.

"I knew it! I _knew_ it! I knew he sounded familiar. So _that's_ how you know him! Oh my god, this is pretty crazy stuff, Posy. How on earth are you able to handle all this? Gods and monsters and titans-"

"Oh my."

"Exactly!" Ariel's face turned grim suddenly. "He's absoutely right!" she said.

"Huh?"

"Posy, sweetheart," Ariel said, getting close to me. "These are dangerous waters you're treading. I suppose Nico is right in keeping you away, it's for your own good. I'd be worried about you, too. I'm really sorry, Po."

"Sorry? For what?"

"That you got caught up in all this chaos. It's terrible really, I don't know what sort of horrible person would drag you into this, but at least he was nice enough to get you out again. Now you can go back to being normal. The old fashioned Posy we all know and love."

And that was just it. Before Nico came to me, I was just plain, sensible, old fashioned, Posy Felrose: fourteen years of existence, zero years of _life_. Sure, I graduated eigthth grade a class valedictorian and I was one of the star players of our cross country team, but being without Nico... I just didn't feel like myself. I was back to square one, figuring out what my dreams were all about and why didn't make sense. I realized then, that when I was with Nico, they _did_ make sense. Because I spent my life asking questions and now Nico had my answers.

"I _guess_," I said, to satisfy Ariel's need for a response. "I haven't seen him for two weeks now." And as hard as it was to admit... I missed him. A lot, actually. "Maybe it's a sign; everyone says I'm annoying and stuff and when people leave, I think it's a sign that its true."

"Really? I seem to think of it as a sign that he _likes_ you." Ariel said, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the left. She was proud of herself for this revelation and it showed. My initial reaction was to laugh and say "Oh, for real?" but I fought the urge to do so. I lingered on that idea for a considerable amount of time, the possibility of Nico liking me. When I had first met him, he was rude to me and was a bit a jerk, and admittedly, I was a bit of jerk to him, too.

But then we fought that lion together, and Nico helped me ease my way through the grief of my grandfather's loss, and then we were caught in that cave and almost died together. Somewhere amidst all that chaos and calamity, we became friends. We grew up together, despite knowing each other for no more than a month or so. Could Nico have come to like me in such a short amount of time? Was it even possible?

"Ooh. No answer, huh?" Ariel said, bringing me back to reality.

"W-what?" I said, my voice shaking.

"Is he cute?" _How typical of Ariel_. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well," I started to say, not knowing how to continue. "I know my standards on appearances are different than yours. But...yeah, he's good looking, I guess."

"Aww! Describe him, will ya!" Ariel leaned forward some more, ready to inhale Nico's description and then dub him "cute" or not.

"Umm," I said. "He's got like, dark, black hair, that's about...regular length for a guy. It kinda hangs off his forehead, just above his eyebrows. His skin is like... how do I say this, it's olive but kind of pale at the same time. Umm, he has dakr brown- wait, yeah, they're dark brown. A very nice shade of dark brown, that is. Nico's about this tall, so about an inch or two taller than me. And, umm.. he doesn't exactly have abs of steel- NOT THAT I WOULD KNOW! -he's more on the lean side. Lean muscle, yeah. Not saying he's ripped or anything. And he wears this leather jacket all the time."

"Ooh, I see. Sounds hot indeed." And because I couldn't help it, I started laughing lightly. When I finished getting my laughs out, Ariel suddenly held out to me a magazine, opened to a certain page.

"What is this?" I asked, taking the magazine from her. Ariel looked at me and I suddenly felt like a fool.

"This, dear Posy, is a quiz that I got from a magazine. Take a look at the page."

I did. At the top of the page it read "Is it like that, yet? Take the quiz and find out!" My eyes widened at the title and I looked back at Ariel like she had grown another head.

"Are you serious?" I said. Ariel nodded just as the bell rang. She gathered her things and got up. "Take it and then tell me what you get later. Bye!"

"Wait! Ariel! This is just a stupid magazine quiz!"

"Just take it! It may be more accurate than you think!" Ariel pushed open the doors and left without another word. I stared down at the magazine page. I was never much for gossip, like most other girls were, so I didn't find it necessary in my fourteen years to ever subscribe to magazines. And that's why the object I held in my hand at that moment was rather unfamiliar to me. I looked down at the first question.

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_TBC_

**Sorry for the short chapter! Today's my birthday and I just got back from Vegas. Updates coming soon.**


	14. Realizations & Possibilities

**Another mini chapter, sorry! More action in later chapters, I promise! :) And the long-awaited "Locket" chapter! A little insight on what our favorite couple is thinking about their predicament right now. Enjoy. Nico might be OOC, I dunno. You decide. Also, the quote about love is by H. Jackson Brown**

**Disclaimer: same as last chapter's disclaimer, don't own PJO**

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**Chapter 14**

_Nico's POV_

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Laying back on my bed, I had only one thought on my mind: why does Aphrodite hate me? I hadn't seen Aphrodite or anything, but she was obviously messing with me. It had been almost three weeks since I had last seen Posy Felrose. I had only known her for a few months and I thought going back to the way I was before I even knew her would be easy. Because that's just who I was; Nico di Angelo, ice-cold son of Hades who sees dead people on a daily basis and doesn't give a damn.

Imagine my surprise when I found it increasingly difficult to just revert back to how I was after saying goodbye to her. Suddenly, every single girl in my school looked exactly like Posy, and suddenly, every shade of brown was exactly the same color as her eyes. Every time a girl so much as looked at me, the only thing I saw was her similarities to a certain mortal girl. Even Sally! Every time I saw Percy's mom, the only thing I saw was her brown hair. It was starting irritate me, but for some reason, it was good kind of irritation. I'm still trying to find out how that's possible.

At night, when it was dark, my mind kept going back to that one night in her bedroom. I kept seeing her face, trying to keep from crying. And suddenly, whenever I was wrapped up in bed, the blankets served as a reminder of when she hugged me. Her arms wrapped around my chest, not wanting to let go. If I concentrated hard enough, I could still feel her arms around me and her small body pressed against mine. And her smell! Gods, I could still smell her on me no matter how many showers I had taken! I just couldn't get her out of my head.

Girls really can drive you crazy. I believe that now. And that's why I think Aphrodite hates me. A couple years ago, I would have shunned all female companionship whatsoever. I was going through an "I Hate Girls" phase, but it's a wonder what the teenage years and a few hormones can do to a boy in so little time. It's enough to really drive him up the wall with all these girls.

I had known a few girls in my lifetime; the ones I encountered at the Lotus Hotel & Casino whom I don't remember at all. Thalia, Silena, Juniper, and Annabeth, to name a few. But I wasn't allowed to like those girls, at least I didn't think so. They were my friends, yes, but for some reason I always thought of them as off-limits, not that I ever thought of pursuing any of them. And I'm not allowed to look at Sally in any way other than as a motherly figure. Persephone who dislikes me and Demeter, the crazy one.

And then there was my sister, Bianca.

When I thought about it, she was the only girl I really loved. I mean _really_ loved. My angel.

I was all messed up, I decided. I had a distorted vision of real love because the only girl I loved was my sister and she died. How could I expect to love anyone, I mean truly love them, after Bianca's death? Exactly. Maybe I couldn't.

But for my own sanity, I decided to at least pretend that I could love. Gods, I was starting to sound all sappy and emotional. It was Aphrodite messing with me again. I could just hear her high-pitched voiced in my head: "Let's mess with Nico's feelings, make him see how _tragic_ his love-life is! Teehee!"

I let my mind travel through the stars that night back to Posy's house. I wondered what she was doing. I really hoped that she wasn't missing me too much, as sappy as that sounds. I saw the look of hurt on her face when I told her we couldn't be friends anymore; I just wanted her to be okay after that, I wanted her to forget me. And as cynical as it sounds, I wanted her to remember me, too. I don't know how that can be, either. I should be wanting the best for her, right?

I read somewhere, a quote, that said, "love is when the other person's happiness is more important that your own." I forgot who said that. Jackson Brown or something like that. At that point, I shot up in bed with a realization of some great truth. Love. In love. How on earth did I fall in love with Posy?

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_Posy's POV_

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_Love_!

I stared at the word with wide eyes, my feelings a mix of horror, disbelief, surprise, and just a small, barely traceable, hint of delight. I dropped the magazine page onto my bed and covered it with a pillow. Backing away from it, I fell seated onto my desk chair, still looking at the pillow covering the magazine.

Love! Can you imagine it? The magazine quiz had graded my answers and came up with LOVE! I thought about taking the quiz over again, but it was no use. I'd already taken the darn quiz five times and I still came out with the same answer: love.

There's no way. There was no way possible that I could be in love. And with Nico, too! It was just unimaginable. Or was it? The magazine was mistaken. That's what it was. I don't think it's possible to be in love with someone after just a few months of knowing them. If it is, then that was awfully quick.

It's just a magazine quiz, right? It didn't mean anything. Magazine quizzes were what gossipy girls took when they were bored and were just curious to see what they would get. Right? It was highly plausible that the magazine was wrong. So what if I got "love"? It was only a magazine quiz and it didn't mean anything. On a magazine quiz, "love" is just a word.

But even _I_ couldn't deny that the thought of being in love was somewhat attractive to me. Every girl dreams of meeting her prince and falling love, of being swept off her feet, of taking a boat ride with the boy she likes, romantic candlelight dinners, picnics in the park. And like the rest of the female population, I wanted it, too.

I thought back to when I was a kid and I saw Peter kissing his girlfriend in front of the house. But in my head, the faces of my brother and his girl were suddenly distorted and instead of Peter and Evangeline, I saw Nico and myself. I got up from my desk and retrieved the magazine from under the pillow and stared at it again.

Was it possible?

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_TBC_

**Another shortie chapter, I'm sorry. But could you still review. Actually, I don't mind not getting that many reviews on tiny chapters like this, but it would be appreciated. Thank you and have a happy new year! Disneyland tomorrow! :)**


	15. Locket

**You guys! This is the "Locket" chapter! We made it! Yey! OK, thanks everyone for reading and keeping up even with the big waits. I'm gunna finish this story even if it kills me! More action-chapters coming soon, I promise :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO**

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**Chapter 15**

_Posy's POV_

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Christmas was fast approaching and even with all my Nico drama, it was hard not to get into the holiday spirit. All the beautiful Christmas trees and festive decorations, jolly songs, and the all this wonderful snow, the spirit was infectious and I had fallen victim to it. Not that I minded; I always thought Christmas was the best time of the year, and not just because of the presents. It was all-round feel-good kind of holiday, and everyone seemed nicer and more social during this time of year, going to show just how infectious the Christmas spirit really was. even my grumpy neighbor, Mr. Robaturri seemed in a better spirit than he was a couple days ago. Maybe his dog, Matilda, finally had her puppies.

I was Christmas shopping at a local open-air market. I didn't have that much money saved, so I figured that shopping there would allow me to buy presents without having to spend too much. I was actually really excited; I had thought out my whole plan for Christmas shopping.

That book about photography for Lauren since she just took up photography as a hobby.

Some new running shoes for Min Yang. I just found out her real size. She's a 5. She has small feet, but I think she's adorable. Smart, too!

I'm thinking a ruffly purse for Ariel, she'll love that, plus her leather one is falling apart. I hope they sell some not-too-expensive ones.

A Cookie Monster toy for Sebastian. That would be perfect for him, he's just discovered the color blue.

Maybe some cleats for Peter and Frankie for when they play football.

Potpourri and scented candles for Mom, and something Celtics for Dad to help him represent his home-sweet-home, Boston. He's a fanatic.

I even thought about getting a little something extra for Percy and his parents; they'd been so nice to me that one time at their house. Whatever I decide to get them, it didn't have to be something grand. They didn't strike me as the picky type and I knew whatever I got them they'd appreciate it.

That just left me pondering on what I should buy for Nico. This was critical. After all, I was in love with the boy, which put me in awkward situation, seeing that I wasn't even supposed to be acquainted with him after that heart-wrenching goodbye just weeks ago. It was for my own good. In a way, Nico was thinking of me and my protection when he left me. But I was determined; even if I wasn't allowed to see Nico, I could still like him, and one way or another, I was going to buy him the perfect Christmas gift even if I had to turn the market upside-down.

The only problem was that I didn't know Nico's size (I could probably guess it), his interests (aside from demigod stuff and the color black), or anything too personal about him that I could use to my advantage. For a girl who's in love with a guy, I didn't know an awful lot about him and that got me even more depressed. I felt like a loser.

But I didn't let that stop me. I trudged through the snow in my plaid galoshes because I didn't have proper snow boots and stopped at a kiosk that sold old books and picked one out for Lauren called _The Ultimate Photography Handbook_. I didn't know much about photography, but it said _Ultimate_ and I guess I can't argue with that. I bought it for $8.

I bought Min's running shoes for $14, Peter and Frankie's cleats, and Dad's Celtics cap, and Ariel's $20 purse from the same place. I was just about to go off to get Mom's candles when I accidentally kicked a frozen block of ice. It didn't budge when I kicked it, so I stubbed my toe instead. I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming, but I dropped my shopping bags and hopped on one foot and tried to loosen up my foot to get rid of the pain.

When I looked up, I saw that the sky was turning grey and the New York lights had just started to turn on, the fluffy snow falling to the ground, and the barren trees sticking out of the ground like awkward cracks in a mirror. I thought it was beautiful and it was enough to distract me from my stubbed toe for a little while.

Taking in my surroundings, I also saw that I was standing in front of an antique store, Venus Antiques, to be more specific; a shop that, like the grotto in the park, I don't recall ever noticing. A dim light was shining through the window that displayed an old gramophone, some vinyl records, a couch that looked like it belonged in the Palace of Versailles, a Grandfather clock, a cuckoo clock, a velvet pillow displaying a collection of antique pins and pocket watches. But inside, it looked warm and cozy.

I looked down at my unlayered self, terribly ill-equipped for a walk in the snow in my cord jeans, a jacket, denim shirt, thick scarf and rain galoshes. The more I looked at the antique shop, in all it's old glory, the more inviting it became. And it wasn't just that; I was mysteriously attracted to that shop, like a magnet to the refrigerator. So I picked up my shopping bags, pushed the door open, and entered the Venus Antique Shop.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. The smell was a mixture of varnish, the brown pages of old tattered books, and Chanel No.5. A fairly pleasant combination of aromas. The first two were expected, being in an antique shop and all, but that last scent was a bit out of place.

Everywhere I looked there was nothing but books with tattered leather bindings, decoupage collages hanging on the wall, oriental carpets rolled up and left to lean against a wall, dish cabinets, Chinese boxes, upright pianos, an assortment of clocks and silverware, a stuffed jackalope nailed to the wall that freaked me out a bit, and a small collection of swords off to the side, each made with a different kind of metal.

I moved toward the collection of swords. They looked strangely Greek, like the one Nico had, and I thought maybe a new sword would be best for him, but a little voice in the back of my head told me that walking out on the streets of New York with a sword would look really suspicious. Especially a sword that was meant to be a Christmas gift for a fourteen-year-old boy.

I touched the tip of one of the hilts and felt the cold metal and jumped when I heard a voice.

"Can I help you?" The source of the voice was a tall, beautiful woman with thick dark brown hair, her eyes were the softest shade of blue and were framed by lock curling lashes. She had red lips and flawless skin and an amazing figure. Standing in front of her, I was suddenly self-conscious of my own mud-colored thin hair, my skinny, curve-less figure, and chapped lips. This woman was without the doubt the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, ten times prettier than Megan Fox without even trying. She wore blue denim jeans and a bright red sweater that hugged her torso nicely and the neckline plunged down just low enough for a little cleavage to show.

"Oh! Customers! I do so _love_ getting customers, antique shops like this one are _sooo_ boring and I hardly ever get visitors. Can I help you? Anything at all?" She leaned forward on the glass counter and rested her chin on her hands and batted her eyelashes at me. I bent down and picked up the sword I had dropped when I jumped at her voice and I suddenly realized that she was probably the source of the Chanel perfume.

"Umm," I said, suddenly forgetting why I was here in the first place.

"Ooh! Are you Christmas shopping?" She moved a hair out of her face and giggled, showing off her perfect pearly whites.

"Yes, I am, actually," I said nervously, approaching the glass counter that she stood behind. She giggled again.

"Don't you just _loove_ Christmas? Buying presents, receiving presents, seeing people you love, not to mention the cute guys you meet at parties, hmm? Anyway, are you looking for something specific?"

"I don't really know," I said, getting closer and I took a look at her name tag. It said "Effie".

"Well, who's it for?" she asked, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger.

"Just a friend," I explained, being careful not to explain too much to a complete stranger. But somehow I felt it was getting easier to talk to Effie. "I don't really know what he wants." Effie squealed in delight and I jumped back again because she surprised me. She giggled some more, covering her mouth with her hands and then leaned forward again.

"So it _is_ a boy! Ah, romance. I love it! You're _soo_ adorable, doll!"

"What do you mean?" I said, tilting my head and staring at her. I didn't tell her anything about Nico yet and it was as if she already knew. "I'm just here to buy a present, Effie, that's all."

"Uh huh," she said so nonchalantly as she looked me up and down and came out from behind the counter. She rubbed her hands together and walked toward me. I tried to back away but she came up to me and took my face in her hands. She made me turn my head this way and that as if she were inspecting a deflated basketball for a hole. She then gasped when she looked into my eyes and then smiled at me. She patted my nose with one perfectly manicured finger and stated: "_You_ are in love."

She then backed away after telling me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. But me, I just gaped at her with wide eyes like an idiot.

"_What_?" she asked. "You're going to ask me how I know."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, so I was right! Well, I usually am. And I know because it's the most obvious thing in the world." My cheeks turned red when she said that. Was I honestly _that_ obvious?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well," she tossed her hair over her shoulder and retreated back behind the glass counter. "How can I not tell? You're looking over at the swords when most girls wouldn't go near something so dangerous. Those swords obviously reminded you of someone special which is why you were there in the first place. You're noticeably thinner than the clothes you're wearing indicating that you were thicker than you are now, which means you aren't eating. If you're not eating it's because you're distracted and you want that other person more than you want food which is why you forget all about it. Your pupils are dilated which means that you got excited at the mere mention of this other person. I watched you come in and you were smiling to yourself. You don't look like the type of girl who would purposely wear that jacket in this weather, so I'm guessing you were too busy thinking about him when you got dressed this morning."

I started laughing at myself on the inside. I didn't know my actions could be analyzed like that.

"Right on all accounts," I said, blushing. Effie smile at me some more.

"See? You're in love!" But then suddenly I was troubled and a frown came on to my face.

"What's wrong?" she asked?

"Just that," I started saying. "How is it that you can tell I'm in love right off the bat, but I needed a magazine to tell me?"

"Hmm, let me guess," Effie said, tapping her chin. "This boy. He's your first love, isn't he?"

I nodded. "I think so." Effie made a face at me and I wondered what I had said that upset her. She didn't look so good in a frown.

"What do you me 'you think so'? A girl ought to know, shouldn't she?"

"I don't know!" I fired back. "If this _is_ my first time falling in love then don't you think that it's very possible that I don't know anything about it? I want to be in love, trust me, but I have doubts about my own feelings because the only reliable examples I have of love come from stories and books and TV shows. Oh, I'm a mess."

I sat down on a trunk and covered my face. "Sorry to be all emotional on you like this," I said. Effie sat down next to me and patted my pack.

"I guess it's okay," Effie said, although she didn't sound that convincing. "I guess I triggered this emotional outburst of yours. My fault. Anyway, lets talk about that gift you wanted to get him."

"I don't even know what Nico wants," I said flatly. "I've known him for a grand total of three months and all I _really_ know about him is his name and... some other stuff. He's really secretive, I don't think he'd want me to tell you."

Effie nodded knowingly and sort of smirked to herself, and I wondered why.

"So..._Nico_, right?" she said. I nodded. She clapped her hands together and then went back to the counter.

"Well," she said. "Let's see if i can work my magic. What do we got on the counter here?" she waved me over to the glass counter and when I peered down, I saw that the counter held a lot of jewelry. But I was confused.

"But this is all jewelry," I said. Effie just shrugged.

"Maybe he's a watch kind of guy," she said, but I doubted Nico would like a watch as a present. Effie started laying out all these different watches in front of me and I leaned my had against my elbow. I would never find the perfect gift for Nico. I stood there at the glass counter as Effie talked about the merchandise for another thirty minutes and I still hadn't found anything. Effie was looking at the inside of a Chinese box when she suddenly perked up and clapped her hands.

"Oh my gods!" she yelped. She got up and went back to the glass counter.

"What?" I asked.

"I _totally _forgot about this! I shoulda thought about this earlier!" She came back with a velvet box and handed it to me. I looked at her.

"Effie," I said. "We've been looking at necklaces for half an hour and your solution is _another_ necklace?" Effie scowled at me and fearing what she would say, I quickly opened the blue velvet box. On the inside was, as I guessed, another necklace. But something was special about it, not in appearance but in the way it felt in my hand. It was a silver chain with one white pearl as a pendant and another flat silver circle hung from that pearl.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Effie said and I nodded in reply as we both stared at the lovely necklace in wonder and awe. It was so simple and yet elegant and beautiful at the same time. I ran my finger over the flat silver circle and when I did, I heard a small popping noise and discovered that the flat circle was actually a locket.

I gasped and gently opened the locket, taking care because I knew it was an antique. On the inside was a small black and white profile picture of a woman with beautiful dark hair and a string of pearls around her neck. Her smile was sweet and her gaze was gentle and her eyes, though just a picture, stared back at me with so much life and courage that I couldn't help but be reminded of Nico. There was an inscription on the other side. I felt it with my finger. I turned it over in my hand and saw that it said _Maria._

"What is this?" I asked.

"A necklace, obviously," Effie said. "It was found sometime during World War II in the ruins of a bombed hotel in Europe. But amazingly, it's still good as new. No one knows who that woman was, the only clue being that her name was Maria but the hotel records were destroyed in the fire, so no one knows who she is."

I stared down at the woman's picture with a stare that pounded my brain. She seemed the beg me to buy the locket and in response, I reached down into my pocket and curled my fingers around the bills in there. I think I had found my perfect present.

"How much?" I asked.

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_TBC_

**Yay, Locket chapter! Yay! OK, guys, please review! More action coming later! And would anyone care to guess who Effie _really_ was? Tried to make it obvious without being too obvious. Thanks for reading, guys! Also, for anyone out there who has tumblr, my url is . FOLLOE PLEASE! I sometimes post my work on there, though not as frequently as on here :) Thanks!**


	16. Completely Defeated

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**Hey guys, I'm back with Chapter 16 of Nico's story. Hope you enjoy. Please review, also. So far, I'm glad you're enjoying it. **

**Disclaimer: same as before**

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**Chapter 16**

_Nico's POV_

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When I first began my afternoon project of calling up my mother's spirit (or attempting to, at least) it had been in the actual afternoon and I was determined. I left the house with Percy near three o'clock and together, we made our way to a remote location in the park. In my hands, I clutched a bag of mini lemon meringue pies, grape juice, and some left over spaghetti and salad. I started out my chant strong and bold. But that was over four hours ago.

By now, the sun was long gone and the sky was dark. A chilly wind blew and carried my whispered chants away with it. My voice was low and blending into the background noise of police sirens and Christmas carols. If you weren't standing within five feet of me, you probably wouldn't even have known I was speaking. The eerie red glow still hovered over ditch Percy and I had dug and dumped the food into. Percy kept other souls other than my mother from eating or drinking from it. But it was useless; all our efforts were to no avail.

Percy sat on a boulder a few feet away with his sword stuck into the ground. He rested his head in his hands, supported by his elbows. He looked tired and bored but I tried not to feel too sorry for him; I was on a mission. Percy looked at the watch on his wrist and grabbed his sword.

"Let's go, Nico," he said. "She's not showing up. I'm sorry, man."

I dropped my chant and the glow died down gradually. I let out a sigh and stared at the vomit-colored substance in the pit before moving around it and pushing the dirt back into the hole with my foot. Percy joined me.

"You ok?" he asked, noticing how silent I was. How could I answer that? I wanted to say I was fine but that was a lie. I felt miserable, like I'd just gotten robbed after winning the lottery or kicked in the gut. Was it wrong that I just wanted to see her? I'd grown up without my mother. Do you have any idea how hard that is? Sure, having a god as my father deemed me special and having special powers was certainly a plus, but sometimes…a boy really needs his mom.

"I just had to try," I answered. Percy nodded, understanding my motives.

"That's alright," Percy said. "I get it."

"I just want more memories of her," I said, kicking the last mound of soil into the ditch, covering up the meringue pies and spaghetti bits. "Is that so wrong?"

"It's perfectly normal, Nico," Percy pat my back. I sighed again, staring at the dirt ground where the pit used to be and for a moment, I even considered digging it up and starting the chant all over again, just to give it another try.

"Ready to head home?" Percy asked. I shook my head.

"I think I'll stay out here for a little bit. I'll meet you back at the house later." Percy stared at me and after a few seconds he shrugged and nodded and agreed. We said our goodbyes, and soon I was alone in the park.

I sat on the rock where Percy sat and stuck my own sword into the ground. The wind was blowing lightly and I popped the collar of my leather jacket so that it covered the back of my neck. Aviator jackets aren't exactly the perfect type of outerwear for the winter, but I didn't want to leave without it. It made me feel closer to my family; the mortal side of my family at least, the side that fought and died in WWII.

I wanted more memories of them, too. As a half-blood, there's a lot of emphasis placed on training and beating monsters and going on quests and just surviving in general. Sometimes, too much emphasis, and I forget that I'm half-mortal, too. I forget that the mortal world is out there, and there's more to life than being a demigod. Maybe that was why I kept this aviator jacket all the time; I didn't want to forget the mortal side of me. Because only focusing on my godly half is only focusing on half of myself.

That's all I wanted; I wanted memories of my mother. I wanted to know her. At school and on the street, I see little kids with their mothers, buying them pizza and ice cream, scolding them at church. Even older kids; teenagers obligated to buy flowers on mother's day and adults walking hand-in-hand with grandmas.

And Percy. Percy and Sally had a great relationship. Sally always told me stories from Percy's baby years; his first basketball game, the radio she bought him when he came home with a grade other than D, his first words. They were best friends, inseparable they were.

I never felt jealous of him before, but now I did.

I may as well have no mother. I may as well have been hatched from a chicken egg and raised on my own. My mother was a woman named Maria di Angelo, but I don't even know who this woman is, who she was, what her life was like, and whether I really loved her or not. How could you love someone you don't even remember?

That's why I was obsessed with finding answers; I wanted to have memories of my family and my mother. I wanted to know if I ever got in trouble for drawing on the walls, what my first words were. Hell, I wanted to know what the potty-training days were like!

Because without all that, I'm just Nico; the demigod with no past and no future and doesn't belong to any family.

My thoughts were interrupted by something white and cold landing on my eyelash. I blinked my eyes really quick to get it off and then rubbed my eye. When I looked up, I realized that it had started snowing again. With nothing else to do and not wanting to get caught in the weather, I picked up my sword and started heading back to town.

It had taken me fifteen minutes to finally hit a paved street. I had traveled even deeper into the forest than I had thought and I was glad to see all the neon signs when I finally made it back to the city. I looked around for some kind of sign to tell me exactly where I was, and when I found one I started walking toward Percy's apartment. On the way there, I unknowingly walked past Posy's school, Knox Preparatory Academy, and I was reminded again how much I really liked her.

I walked past the spot on the wall where I sat and waited for Robbie and ran into Posy instead. I wasn't excited about it then, but I felt an almsot sentimental attachment to it now and I mentally slapped myself for being gushy again. My first crush, can you believe it?

After walking some more, I found myself in a crowded street. There were people everywhere! And each of them held at least two bags of Christmas gifts. I looked around and realized that I was in an open-air market. I tried my best to push past the crowd of moms buying toys and girlfriends buying whatever for their significant others and the whiny little kids who want stuff for themselves, but it was no use. I kept getting pushed around like driftwood in a stormy sea.

I finally found an empty alley on the side and I made a break for it, accidentally pushing a girl aside more violently than I intended. She pushed me back after that, but thankfully I was pushed into the empty alley that I wanted to end up in. I stood up and brushed the snow from my back end and started walking away from the crowded street. It got surprinsingly quieter as I continued walking, and you expect it to because of the distance between me and the crowded market, but it should never be _this_ silent in Manhattan. There's always a noise or two, even just a cat meowing or a chihuahua howling at the moon.

The tall buildings and fire escapes helped alleviate the amount of snow falling on me, which helped a bit. But without the snow falling to the ground, the ground was wetter and more slippery than before. I walked slowly and had to watch my step; I didn't want to slip on the ice. It was starting to get foggy and when I looked up at the sky, there were no stars to give off light. I had to rely on the flickering street lights, but they're far away and the space in between is as dark as that cave.

The hairs on the back of my head started to stand on end as the silence only grew the more I walked and when I couldn't stand it any longer, I stopped. I purposely exhaled loudly to add a bit of sound to the quiet because it disturbed me. But at the same time, it didn't feel right to be the only thing capable of making a sound. It made me feel like an intruder, disturbing the constance of silence.

I looked around me. I was caught between two brick wall at least three stories high. The nearest light was a street lamp some ten feet away, but it wasn't bright enough. There was something about my surroundings that bothered me. I felt like I'd been here before even though the surroundings didn't seem familiar, I felt like I had been in this very situation before.

The wind died down and street lamp flickered and finally died and I followed my first instinct, which was to whip out my sword and get into battle stance. I scanned the darkness. Everything seemed calm but I knew better; someone was stirring around here and they were trying to get me.

"Who's there?" I yelled into the pitch blackness. No answer. "Who's there!" I yelled again. "I know you're here, so show yourself." I said in a normal voice. I held my ground for another minute or two, but when nothing happened, I did the only manly thing I could do then; I ran. I took off down the alley, faster than I had ever run before. I slipped a few times and the cold air whipped my face raw, but I still kept running.

I had almost reached the end of the labyrinthine alleyways when I heard a faint scream. It wasn't nearly loud enough to call any attention but I heard. I know because I'd heard it before...a month ago in a dream. I heard my heart beating in my chest, louder than any other sound. It was pounding my brain and I was rooted to that spot. I couldn't move.

Silence ensued and I stood there waiting for another sound. I didn't want to just go in running after a scream that may have only been in my head. It could have been a trap. But right in the nick of time, I heard it again. That petrifying scream that made my blood run cold and I flinched when the sound reached my ears.

"Posy!" I yelled. I gulped. _Please don't let it be her. Please don't let it be her _I chanted in my head. _Oh gods, please not her. _

I waited. And sooner or later, my patience was rewarded. Posy yelled my name. "Nico!" her voice was loud, desperate, and distressed. She was in trouble. My Posy was in trouble. Faster than a jet, I took off toward the sound, dodging trash cans and rounding sharp corners. I don't know what emotions were more powerful in me right; desperation to reach Posy in time, hope that maybe it wasn't her, anger at Landon or whoever had captured her, and fear that it was all just a trap and I had just fallen victim to it.

I slipped again but I bolted right up as soon as I did, not even taking notice of the pain in my hip and my side where I had gotten cut.

"Where are you?" I yelled, not knowing if I was asking Posy or her captor. "Hello?" I yelled again when I had no answer. By now, I was frantic. If I didn't find her in the next few minutes, I felt like I would explode from anxiety. "Posy!" I yelled again. I started looking around the darkness in the panic, not sure whether to attempt just swinging my sword around and hoping to hit something, but then I heard her again?

"Nico?" her voice was a normal volume now but I heard her perfectly. I turned around and there she was, backed up against a brick wall. Her hair was dissheveled and messy but I didn't care. Her eyes were wild and I knew she was terrified. I ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Are you alright?" I said a bit more forecfully than I had intended. "Are you alright!" I shook her this time. She looked back at me as if she couldn't tell if I was real or not.

"Posy, it's me! Nico!"

"You can't be here!" she said suddenly.

"What? How'd you get here? What's wrong?"

"You have to leave, like, now!" she said, trying to push me away but I swatted her away and grabbed her arm.

"What are you talking about!"

We stood there arguing for about another twenty seconds and I honestly don't remember most of what she said because we were both bickering so loudly that we couldn't understand what the other was saying. But one thing I did catch from her frantic yelled arguments was the name Landon. I stopped talking and stared at her.

"Where is he?" my voice was low. The mere mention of Landon's name had ignited a small fire inside me and I never felt like I hated anyone with such intensity ever before. I turned around and scanned the darkness again looking for him, but when I turned back to face her she looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. I was just about the ask her what she meant, but just then, a pair of hands came out of the wall behind her and wrapped around her mouth. Another pair of strong arms bound me from behind, someone kicked my sword out of my hand and I got punched in the gut.

"Don't!" I heard Posy say.

I let out a yell and legs buckled. I fell down to my knees and someone strong held my arms behind the back and I couldn't get free. I looked up, my mind was a blur, but I could clearly make out the faces of the two thugs who held me in the cave, a girl with red hair who was holding a sharp knife to Posy's throat and holding her arms back, and the one boy who haunted my dreams for months.

"I warned you not to force me, Son of Hades." Landon said. When he stepped into the light, I saw that his hand was burned. The skin around his knuckles was the color of rust and seemed almost mutilated. His knuckles felt like rough sandpaper or a sharp rock. How do I know? Because he punched me right in the face, practically blinding me.

"You've brought this on yourself. Did you honestly think you'd get away so easily? One way or another, we were going to find you." I spat out blood.

Landon came up to my face and held the tip of a knife between my eyes and he didn't mean to do so gently; I felt the blade on my face starting to penetrate my skin. I winced, but that only made it worse. Landon spoke in simple words, but the sheer emphasis of it is what really got me honestly scared. He was practically hurling his insults and hate at me. I was trapped. I tried struggling but that did no good; the more I struggled, the more they kicked and punched me.

"I'll offer again. But this time if you refuse, so help me, I _will_ kill her," he said, pointing the knife at Posy. "I _swear _I will! I'll kill her first so you can watch and then you're next. Do you hear me?"

I looked over at Posy. She was crying now and the girl was telling her to shut up and threatening to kill her. And in that one moment I regretted befriending Posy, regretted ever involving her in demigod business. Look what it brought her to. Standing there, terrified with a knife pressed against her throat being threatened with death and used as bait. And I had no one to blame but myself.

"You will be our guide into the Underworld," Landon said again. For a moment time stood still and I felt claustrophobic. For the first time, I felt completely defeated. I looked up at Posy and she looked at me, choking back tears. Then, she turned away from me and I knew that she was thinking the same thing. I thought about how my father had said that I was weak, that I was a failure compared to Bianca. For the first time, I knew he was probably right. I chose one mortal girl over my immortal family. Landon slapped me again.

"Answer me!" he yelled into my ear. I spat out more blood and then looked up and glared at him. Landon wasn't intimdated but I didn't care. I would stare him down the entire time. I had to think of a plan.

"The Doors of Orpheus," I spat out. "You'll need music."

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_TBC_

**Thanks for reading! Please review. I'm glad I got this chapter up before the weekend was over. This one took a while to write, sorry for the delay. Happy MLK day, everyone. Also, how do you guys feel about a title change? I was thinking of changing the title because it doesn't really have anything to do with the story as a whole. But if you guys are too used to it already, I'll keep. But first lemme hear what you think.**


	17. The Hole That Demigods Dig

**Alright, I'm back. Ok, just read on. tumblr url: www . thefuturescomingsoon . tumblr . com be sure to get rid of the spaces first, though. *shameless self promotion***

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**Chapter 17**

_Posy's POV_

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I was thinking about Sebastian. Redhead was behind me leading me on with her knife near my face and she sometimes kciked me just because she could and somewhere in the back of my mind, I toyed with the idea of dying. Oddly enough, the only thing I thought about was Sebastian, my baby brother tucked away safely in his crib back home. It was late. He'd probably be asleep right now and bet that he was dreaming of something beautiful and I hoped he was dreaming about me, somehow.

If someone asked me if I ever pictured myself puffy-eyed, held hostage with a razor-sharp knife just inches away from scarring my face and not too far away from some kind of heart attack, I would have said no. I just wasn't that type of person; bad things like this didn't usually happen to me and crime was just something that existed in movies and _Forensic Files_.

And yet, here I was, standing in Central Park with two thugs holding onto Nico, Landon, and the red-headed tramp who held my arms back and pressed her dagger against my neck. I would have liked nothing less than to punch red-head in the face and kick Landon in the jewels then and there.

But to tell the truth, I was feeling more terrified than angry then; my fear outweighed my fury. My sobbing had calmed down by the time we reached The Doors of Orpheus and my tears were now a silent river cascading slowly down my flushed cheeks and an occassional hiccup escaped my throat. The night was torturously cold; relentless winds howled like wolves and sank their icy teeth into our flesh. But there was nothing we could do about it.

"Open it," Landon barked, kicking Nico toward the Door and I winced. Nico looked back at Landon with a mixture of venom and sadness in his eyes, but said nothing.

"Dumbass," Nico whispered in a hoarse voice. Right then, Landon grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled me towards him. He pulled out his own dagger and pressed the tip on my cheek. It wasn't hard enough to run through my face, but forceful enough that I could feel it beginning to pierce and tear at my skin. I felt hot, sticky liquid beginning to pour forth and it wasn't my tears.

"Agh!" I yelled as the pain shot right through me and I jerked my head away from the sharp weapon.

"Stop it! Stop!" Nico yelled in desperation. He writhed in the arms of his captors but the thugs didn't move. "Music! You play music and the doors will open. Dammit, just get away from her!"

Landon pulled the knife away from me and my free hand automatically went up to the spot on my cheek where the dagger had touched me. It wasn't bleeding terribly, but the feeling of warm blood on my hand made me panic and I was sure that the spot on my arm where Landon held onto me was bruised. He had an iron grip on me.

"Thank you, Nico," Landon said, still holding onto me. Landon turned and looked at the red-haired girl who was fishing for something in her pack. "Roxana, if you'll do the honors?"

Red-head, whom Landon had called Roxana, finally pulled a flute-looking instrument out of her bag and started to play. I didn't recognize the song; it sounded like something you'd find on the soundtrack of some fantasy movie or a song someone would play in the pharaoh's court. If I weren't in such a foul state, I would have even liked the song, but hearing it then only made me feel nauseated. This was really happening. As soon as she hit the last note of the song, there was a trembling underneath us and the rocks covering the entrance to the Underworld crumbled away and revealed a dark passage.

Colder air rushed forth from the passage and me me shiver as Landon pushed me back to Roxana. Landon kicked Nico from behind again.

"Well, go on! Lead the way!" Nico looked back at me sadly and reluctantly entered the dark passage, followed closely by Landon and the thugs.

Roxana pushed me forward even though I fought to stay back. I, too, was a bit reluctant to enter the dark passage. The inside was black and the cold wind blowing echoed through it. It seemed sinister to me and my fight-or-flight reflexes were kciking in; they wanted to flee. But I didn't have much of a choice. The minute the last person set foot inside the Doors of Orpheus, the rocks piled up again and covered the entrance and we all stood silent in the pitch black.

Landon brought out a lantern and turned it on. The lantern shed some light on us and we could finally see. But almost as soon as we had settled into the cold rocky corridor, we heard an echo in halls. It sounded as though someone had dropped something very heavy and no one dared moved. And then out of nowhere came four skeletal soldiers running at us, full speed, waving their sword in the air. If you've never been chased by skeletons before, I will tell you now that it has got to be one of the most horrifying things on earth. Like Dawn of the Dead except the zombies have weapons, have no skin, and sprint at you. Not running. Sprinting, like a freaking marathon. On impulse, I let out a shrill scream and it resonated through the halls.

Roxana put her hand over my mouth before I could scream again while Landon brought out his own sword and cut through one of the skeleton soldiers. They crumbled at first but after mere seconds, they began to crawl on the ground and knit themselves together again and my heart was pounding in my chest like a drum.

"Put them to sleep!" he yelled at Nico while fighting off one of the soldiers. Nico pointed at each of the skeleton soldiers and one by one, the glow in their bony skulls died down and they sunk into a heap of dead bones. Things like these didn't surprise me anymore; Nico's power over the dead, I mean. Landon put his sword away and continued walking with the thugs following behind me.

Nico slowed down and bit and fell into an even paced walk beside me.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, concern heavily apparent in his voice. He put a hand on my shoulder and spun me to face him. I knew that he was staring at the cut on my cheek with a few splotches of raw blood still on my face and I wanted to tell him about the results I got on the magazine quiz there, but it hardly seemed the time. I wanted to say anything, really, but I didn't know what.

"It's just a little scratch," I said, not wanting him to worry. I looked into his face, at the bruises on his cheeks and small traces of a black eye beginning to form and I realized that with all his scratches and bruises and wounds, he seemed almost, but not entirely, unrecognizeable. I was too used to seeing him clean and healthy, teasing me about cats and arguing with me in front of my school.

How had it all come to this, I asked myself. And I realized that this was the hole that all demigods dug for themselves. The hole that Nico had warned me not to fall into. And I had already fallen.

He tried to smile, but the attempt was a failure and the grin disappeared almost as soon as it came. Roxana urged us on with a forceful tug on both our sleeves.

"I'm sorry," he said without looking directly at me. "I'm sorry that I let it get this far. I'll get you out if it's the last thing I do." We didn't get to say anything more after that because Roxana pulled me away from him and pushed Nico forward and onto the gravel. "Get up front, you little insect!" Nico mumbled a little as Roxana pushed him down to the ground. I didn't hear what he said, but I'm pretty sure I picked out the word "bitch" somewhere in there.

After some more walking, we finally exited the dark passageway. There was no way I could have been prepared for what we saw next.

There are no words to describe what it feels like to behold the Underworld with living eyes. You can't detect anyother color other than black and gray and the the occassional red of fire. We came to stand on the bank of what seemed like a river with black waters, rushing powerfully as though it were trying to drown the land beneath it.

The mere sight of it left me feeling slightly less alive, especially when my eyes started tricking me and every wave of water was ominously shaped like a body; like the dead pale corpses of those who had drowned and their souls left forgotten in their watery graves. It was something straight out from a Gothic novel.

Every gush of water resembled a hand, an arm, or a leg reaching out with white rotted flesh. They seemed to want me to come nearer and take hold of them and they would pull me down down into the black depths to be dead with them, stuck at the bottom for all eternity and like them, I too would also reach up and pull others into the darkness.

There was no sky in the Underworld, as expected. When I looked up, I saw only a vaulted ceiling made of onyx stone and there appeared to be a white haze like souls floating there, too. The air tasted like death, as well and it seemed that breathing became a little more difficult as well, like the Underworld was squeezing the life out of you... literally.

I felt Roxana shiver next to me and thought that she might be feeling this way, too. Even a tough titan girl like her could be scared after all. Nevertheless, she still stayed close to me with the knife drawn and I knew that a girl like Roxana was highly capable of using it to kill me.

I stared at it with a mixture of awe and terror. Terrified for human reasons: it could be used to kill me. But in my situation, death was beginning to seem inevitable and if I were going to die, then why not do away with me now? Of course I knew why. I was the bait, their leverage. I was what was going to get Nico to play along.

It was a thought that all at once, annoyed me because I was not a fan of this whole damsel-in-distress thing, scared me because I might die soon or they might kill Nico, and also filled my head with girlish romantic thoughts of Nico saving me and us riding away to his kingdom together. But in my case, the Underworld _was_ his kingdom and I wasn't liking it so far and didn't have many plans on going back here anytime soon.

"The River Styx," Nico whispered quietly under his breath and one of the thugs pushed Nico forward yet again.

"Lead the way, demigod," the thug said. But Nico was silent, a fact that seemed to worry me. His head was tilted forward and his eyes were cast down on the river. He looked as though he were deep in thought or somewhere else. Where are you, Nico? What goes on in that head of yours?

Landon drew his sword and touched Nico with the tip of his blade and I was afraid that he might cut Nico the way he did my face. _Don't_, I found myself saying in my head.

"Forward, son of Hades," Landon breathed. "This isn't the time to reminisce. Now get us to that urn, you miserable shit!"

Nico brought his head up slowly and opened his eyes. He stared at Landon with hatred-filled eyes and his mouth quivered. He looked as though he wanted to lash back at Landon, but he knew that it would only make things worse. His breathing was heavy and I knew that he was fighting himself not to insult Landon back.

"I'll take you to the urn if you let her go. She's mortal, Landon, she has nothing to do with this war. This is between you and me. Let her go and I'll give you what you want."

All was quiet but then Landon threw his head back and laughed coldly and his evil laughter echoed through the hallowed halls once more.

"Let her go? What? And have her running to your half-blood friends asking for help? How stupid do you think I am? No. I don't think so. She's perfect leverage over you and with her in our control, you'll have to do everything we ask of you. I think we'll keep her right here until we're completely finished. Now to more important matters: the urn, if you'd be so kind. Lead the way!"

When Landon had finished saying this, the thug pushed Nico forward again and he fell to the floor. I yelled his name but Roxana jerked me backward by my hair and then punched my gut. The wind was knocked out of me and while I writhed on the floor a little, I knew what was coming soon. They would kill me. They would kill me and Nico, the both of us, because we couldn't be trusted even after the job was finished.

There another sound like something heavy being dropped and our head all jerked upward toward the vaulted ceiling searching for what caused the noise. Landon pointed his sword at Nico again.

"Fast!" he said. Behind us, the skeletal soldiers had reformed with even more resolve to stop us now. Nico turned around in panic and started running in a random direction. Landon, the thugs, and Roxana who held me, we all ran behind him into the unknown. The skeletons continue to sprint toward us and at one point, the thugs slowed their pace to fight them off and Landon pulled Nico's back by his jacket and ordered him to put the skeletons to sleep again.

Nico seemed to have had enough of the ordering around and as soon as Landon had whipped him around to face him, he balled up his fists and slammed one right into Landon's jaw. Slightly dazed, Landon wrapped a hand around Nico's neck and Roxana bent and twisted my arm around my back and I let out another shrill scream. Landon threatened to break arm and Nico obeyed and put one of the skeletons to sleep. In my peripheral vision, one of the skeletal soldiers, one that hadn't fallen asleep, had run its black sword right through one of the thugs and the blade protruded from him back.

Landon kicked Nico in the torso again before running toward the one thugs who was still left standing and slashed through the skeleton he was fighting. Roxana stopped twisting my arm and produced a bow and shot an arrow at another one that was running towards them and Nico put the rest of them to sleep.

"There are too many!" Roxana yelled to Landon in desperation. Landon and the thug looked back at her and nodded and killed one more skeleton before running towards us again. Roxana roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me along. In front of us, there was a bridge.

"What is that?" Roxana said. Nico ran toward it.

"It leads to safety," he said. "The skeletons can't go there, we have to cross the bridge." The five of us sprinted toward the rickety bridge that led us to the one place we could be free of skeletons. I was hesitant at first but Roxana half pushed and half lifted me across the unstable bridge. The skeletons ceased to chase us.

Nico fell to his knees on the ground, catching his breath and the thug did the same. Landon looked back at the army of skeletons that had gathered at the other end of the bridge, waving their menacing weapons at us and screaming in some dead language. The expression on Landon's face was both hateful and sad. Roxana suddenly dropped me onto the floor next to Nico and she ran toward the bridge yet again.

"Wait!" Landon ran and pulled her backward and Roxana crashed to the floor just before touching the bridge.

"You asshole!" she yelled at Landon. "Why'd you stop me?"

"Because you're stupid!" he yelled at her. "You want to die across that bridge trying to save Bryce?"

"That's my brother over there!" she yelled angrily, getting up to her feet and looking like a deranged woman looking for a kill. She got close to Landon's face but he pushed her back again.

"Well, goddammit, he's dead now, Roxana! If you go over there you'll get killed. You're too late!"

"You could have saved him-,"

"But I didn't and that's just too damn bad!" Landon shut his mouth and stared at Roxana hard and she was enraged and her body shook with her anger. Her red hair started to resembled fire. Roxana wasn't any taller than Landon himself, but in another life, she looked as though she would have towered over him.

"Don't forget our mission, Roxana," Landon said flatly but as he said so, the fire in Roxana's eyes seemed to dim a little. "Retrieve that urn at all costs. And you will stick to that mission until death, you hear? If we succeed, then Bryce's sacrifice won't be in vain and if we're lucky you may just be able to see him somewhere in here. Now suck it up and do as you're told!"

Roxana was still quivering with fury and she stared daggers at Landon but neither of them moved. Finally, after a few seconds, Roxana whipped around, letting her red hair hit Landon's face like a slap. Nico was asking me if I was alright but I hadn't answered before Roxana grabbed my arm again and jerked me up to a standing position and brought out her dagger. Again with the knives.

Then something weird happened. Almost at soon as we had taken another two steps, the scene around us changed. Not in color, it was still black and grey alll around. But he were suddenly surrounded by tall black grass about four feet high. A wind was blowing and it swayed the grass to and fro and made it look as though the earth was forever shifting and changing. Tall dead poplars stood a ways away and huge blocks of stone were scattered around. And it seemed this way for miles and mies and miles in every direction.

It made me feel depressed and lost and disoriented. Landon must have felt this way too. He marched straight up to Nico and lifted a hand to slap him. Nico caught his first attempt with his own hand, but Landon slapped him on the other side with his other hand.

"Next time you try anything like you did back there, Nico, I'll break her arm. Now where are we?" he demanded. His voice seemed to get louder every time he yelled. Nico was brooding as well.

"Don't touch her," he said through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare hurt her! If you do, I swear on the Styx, you will never reach that urn. Ever!"

"You don't make the rules around here anymore, half-blood," Landon said. "I'm the one who has the upper hand here. We may be in your realm but I'm the one who has her hostage and until I get that urn, I will twist and stab her as I please to force your cooperation. You could have avoided this but this is what you chose!"

Nico tried to punch Landon in the face again but Landon caught his fist. Nico lifted his leg to kick him in the chest, but Landon had punched him before he could. Nico fell back into the dust black grass and coughed.

"Where are we?" Landon demanded yet again. I looked around at where we were. It looked like an endless wheat field in Kansas but with less gold wheat. I don't know how, but somehow the wind brought me the answer.

"The Fields of Asphodel."

* * *

_TBC_


End file.
